


Sins of the Lion

by Celestial_Alignment



Series: The Prince [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Intrigue, Multi, Non-Graphic Smut, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Romance, Sequel, Sexy Times, Shower Sex, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2018-11-16 00:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 69,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11242833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestial_Alignment/pseuds/Celestial_Alignment
Summary: Before the USS Enterprise can commence its 5-year mission, it has one last task assigned to it: Deliver the cryo-tubes of Khan and his crew to a research facility. What Kirk and his crew don't expect is the flame from Khan's past named Marla McGivers. Sequel to fic "The Wrathful and the Sullen" and the film Star Trek Into Darkness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a sequel to my previous Khan/Marla fic “The Wrathful and the Sullen.” It also picks up (literally) right where Star Trek Into Darkness ends. So, this story is going to be as much about the Enterprise crew as it is Khan and Marla. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

“Spock!”

“Captain.”

“Where should we go?” Kirk asked distantly, his eyes on the endless field of stars that filled the viewscreen.

“As a mission of this duration has never been attempted,” Spock began with the closest thing to excitement he had ever displayed, “I defer to your good judgment, captain.”

Spock had just given him permission to run wild in space and it made Kirk smile. Inside he was raring to go, burning to deflower those uncharted territories of space. Spock slipped away to take up his science station. All the while, Dr. McCoy wandered through the bridge towards where the first officer sat.

Kirk nestled into the captain’s chair. “Mr. Sulu, take us out.”

“Aye, captain.”

When the commands were punched in at the helm and the _Enterprise_ broke into warp, Kirk relished in the sensation of the subtle vibration through his fingertips as he clutched the chair.

“Heading, sir?” Sulu peered over the gold shoulder of his uniform.

Kirk still grinned. He was absolutely loving the feeling of not needing to be anywhere with the best ship in the fleet. “Lay in a course for…” He squinted his eyes thoughtfully, then pointed at the left side of the viewscreen, “… thataway.”

Sulu mirrored the grin and nodded. “Yes, sir!”

“Mr. Chekov,” the captain looked to the head of curls that sat beside Sulu. “Pull up a map of the quadrant we’ll be entering at this heading and give me an ETA of when we’ll be approaching the edge of chartered space.”

“Aye, keptin!” peeped the young Russian.

The viewscreen filled with the glittering image of star systems within Federation space, the quadrants neatly labeled and each sector clearly separated. On the outer edges, however, was the darkness—the unknown and the untouched vastness of space that was waiting to be explored.  A few minutes at warp and Kirk could already smell the freedom.

“Captain,” Uhura’s voice interrupted the excited bustle of the bridge. “Incoming transmission from Star Command.”

“On speaker.”

“ _Captain Kirk!_ ” He recognized the friendly voice.

“Commodore Ralston,” Kirk greeted the voice cheerfully.

“ _I gather your five-year mission is well underway?_ ”

“Yes, sir, it is.”

“ _Good, good! Uh…_ ” The chipper tone died quickly. _“Captain, it pains me to have to tell you this… The_ Enterprise _is ordered to take something of a little detour… You’ve been assigned a small task that needs to be completed satisfactorily before you reach deep space._ ”

“Small task? Like an errand?” Kirk didn’t mean to sound as insulted as he felt. This was a flagship, not a transport-for-hire.

“ _I suppose I could have worded that better,_ ” the commodore murmured. “ _It’s a simple but highly important job. The_ Enterprise _is the best equipped for major cargo as well as its top-notch security. There are other factors involved in your ship being chosen for this as well. Such as your route taking you in the general direction that this cargo needs to go, and…_ ”

“With all due respect, commodore, could you please get to the point?” Kirk didn’t like the uneasy feeling that was beginning to flop around in his stomach.

“ _Star Command wants the_ Enterprise _to be the transport vessel for the seventy-three augments currently in custody at Starbase 2._ ”

The bridge became deadly quiet. It even seemed as though the computers stopped beeping for a moment as Kirk could feel the eyes of his bridge crew turning his way.

“Can I ask why they’re being moved in the first place?” And not buried in the center of some planet where they belong? he silently added. But Starfleet, in cooperation with the Federation, has made a point of keeping the identity of the augments anonymous.

“ _It’s no secret. As you may recall, John Harrison and his crew were sentenced to suspended animation indefinitely. The science division has deemed their genetic makeup far too invaluable to be destroyed and it’s for that reason that they want them taken from the starbase they’ve been kept at and moved to Regula I where they can be properly studied. Regula I is our leading research facility in biology and genetics._ ”

Kirk had never been keen on the council’s decision to keep the augments on ice, and the idea of moving them around had his grip tightening on the arms of the captain’s chair. “So why the _Enterprise_?” he asked with a tone flat enough to make any Vulcan proud.

“ _As I said, your vessel is the most qualified and equipped for such cargo. And I thought with your personal connection to the prisoners, it could offer you some closure on the matter._ ”

“To be honest, sir—and I think I speak for the rest of my crew—the farther _Harrison_ is from this ship the better.”

There was a pause. “ _Are you saying you refuse?_ ”

“Do I have a choice?”

“ _You do, incidentally. But I strongly suggest you accept. It will take you three days off course, tops, then you can recommence your mission uninterrupted. You should understand one of the reasons we chose you was, admittedly, out of convenience. The_ Enterprise _is not only the closest ship, but the best one for the job. Will you do it?_ ”

His first instinct was to reply with an emphatic _Hell no!_ But he knew this wasn’t his decision to make alone.

“Just… give me a moment, commodore…”

When he turned, he saw Spock standing close to his right, his face as stoic as ever and his hands clasped at his back. Kirk waited until his first officer peered downward to him.

“What d’you think?” Kirk asked quietly. “Are you as uncomfortable as I am about this?”

“I sure as hell am!” McCoy’s rough voice burst out from his left.

“The decision,” Spock glanced to the doctor before favoring the captain again, “one way or the other has no effect on my level of comfort, physically or emotionally, and is therefore irrelevant…”

Kirk glared at him. “You could be more helpful.”

“However,” the Vulcan continued with a subtle shift in his tone, “logically, if the _Enterprise_ is most suited for the task, then it would follow that we should accept.”

“There’s no big emergency here,” McCoy interrupted. “Those people are snug in their ice cubes and don’t need us to haul ‘em around. Any ship can do the job.”

“Such cargo,” Spock said crisply, “requires a careful and well-armed escort. The superior coding of their DNA makes them a virtual treasure-trove of knowledge and power. Should the wrong people get a hold of them, the dangers could be exponentially worse than the single danger we faced in Khan himself.”

“So let them escort the bastard and his crew in a fleet!” McCoy threw an arm out for emphasis. “We’re explorers, we have a new mission that’s supposed to be taking us ‘thataway’—wherever the hell that is....”

Kirk looked quizzically up at the disgruntled doctor. “Suddenly you’re in favor of deep space?”

“With babysitting Khan as an alternative?” McCoy scoffed and folded his arms. “You bet your ass I am. Jim, all the reasons to do this are outnumbered by the reasons not to.”

“Your arguments, doctor, are built on your unrestrained emotions,” Spock observed. “And though I am by no means eager to have the augments on board this ship again, may I make a presupposition, captain? If I am correct in my judgment of your character, you will always consider any other captain inadequate to accomplish the very task that you had refused in the first place.”

Kirk wanted to punch him right in the face—but he was right. The only thing that Kirk hated more than the idea of escorting a sleeping Khan was the idea of someone else—someone less reliable—doing it. He took a deep breath and collected himself before giving his final answer.

“Alright, commodore… I accept.”

Bones let out a defeated huff and stomped away. It was then that Kirk caught a glimpse of Carol Marcus on the far end of the bridge, her eyes fixed on him and her face three shades paler.

“Mr. Sulu… Set course for Starbase 2.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

It almost looked like a funeral procession the way that the cryo-tubes were hauled into the cargo bay of the _Enterprise_ , which was now docked at Starbase 2 _._ The personnel floated them along, lining them up in neat rows in the middle of the vast floor. Captain Kirk stood on the upper level, one hand gripping the rail in front of him as the other crushed the life out of a PADD as he watched the cargo get organized and signed for, a few extraneous crates of supplies for Regula I being inventoried.

“Captain.” He knew the monotone greeting without having to look to Spock, who stood beside him, also gazing out over the cargo below. “As adamant as you were in your desire to stay as far away from the augments as possible, it seemed unlikely that you would loiter here.”

“If they’re going to be sleeping on my ship, it wouldn’t do me much good to avoid them, now would it?” Kirk mumbled.

“They are in cryo-stasis and will be monitored by Dr. McCoy for any changes. At this point, they are no different than any other cargo and should be viewed as such.”

Kirk looked askance to the Vulcan. There was a particular level of extra-monotony in that statement. “You telling _me_ that or yourself?”

He heard about how Spock chased Khan down in a rare moment of rage. The Vulcan was anything but indifferent about this.

“I am simply articulating the most logical perspective to an otherwise uncomfortable situation for you, captain.” Spock didn’t look at him.

There was a brief silence between them as they watched the crew weave in and out of the rows of cryo-tubes. There was a nagging question at the back of Kirk’s mind that he couldn’t keep to himself any longer.

“Spock…” he whispered and inched discreetly nearer, his voice tinged with worry. “What do you think the chances are of one of these people waking up? I mean, after all they’ve been through with the _Vengeance_ last year, none of them were revived by accident, right?”

Spock’s cool gaze finally shifted to him, a single brow quirking. “I believe you just answered the question for yourself. They have been encased in those tubes for approximately three centuries, in which time they were likely to suffer some abuse. It would take an immense blow for any of them to be opened by chance, and even if they were, they would die soon after without the proper sequencing and medical attention. The only individual who may know the proper sequencing for any such revival is currently in one of those tubes as well. Therefore, the likelihood of any incident that would result in one or more of the augments reviving and moving freely around the ship is less than point zero-three-two percent.”

The line of logic was sound (how could it be anything else?) and Kirk nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right… Don’t know how the hell you come up with those numbers, but you make a good point. I’ll just be glad when we get this done and over with.”

Though Spock didn’t say anything, Kirk was sure he caught a look of agreement in his eye. God forbid he admitted to being ‘glad’ of anything, though.

“I will see you on the bridge for launch, captain.” With that, he strolled away, leaving the captain alone again.

Kirk’s eyes drifted back to the sea of cryo-tubes below in the cargo bay. They were all identical and looked so harmless. It was difficult to imagine how much grief and suffering they had caused, either intentionally or inadvertently. These things and the people inside them were poisonous to peace.

Of all the personnel who wove through the cargo, one in particular caught his eye. The red uniform wasn’t exactly unique from the others, but the fact that she was stationary in one spot for so long made her stand out. She was beside one of the cryo-tubes holding a PADD, but she didn’t look like she had used it for a good five minutes. Kirk watched curiously, waiting for her to move. When she didn’t, when she simply stared at the cryo-tube, he began to descend the stairs onto the busy cargo bay’s floor.

“Everything all right, ensign?” He approached with a light stride.

She jolted at the sound of his voice. “Yes, captain! I was just doing checks on each tube to ensure they’re all in functioning order before launch.”

He stood on the other side of the cryo-tube and looked at her for a moment. Her hair was almost as red as her uniform, which was striking, and all the more reason he found it odd that she was so unfamiliar. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around the ship.”

“I could be wrong, sir, but that might be because I just transferred onto the _Enterprise_ this morning,” she said coyly.

“A sound theory,” Kirk chuckled and took up his own PADD. “What’s your name?”

“Rhue, Madlyn.”

Through the PADD he accessed the crew files and found her instantly. “Ensign Madlyn Rhue. Control Systems Specialist and historian. I get why you’re so interested in the, uh… _cargo_ then.” He tapped the cryo-tube.

What he had meant as a light observation instead made her face droop ever so slightly. “To a point, captain…”

“I won’t keep you from your work anymore, ensign. Carry on.”

She nodded and scurried to the next cryo-tube. Kirk couldn’t help watching her. It wasn’t just because she was pretty—something he would never overlook in any woman—but there was something strange about her. As she moved from one tube to the next, he finally looked more closely to the one that he stood beside, the one that she had lingered at for so long. The ghostly face within the frosted window was too singular to mistake, even if it was deceptively serene. It was Khan.

 

* * *

 

The _Enterprise_ was ready to launch within the hour, and the ship was electrified with the busy crew, as last minute checks and tests were done. Kirk swaggered through the whitened corridors, the crew pausing at attention and making way for their captain. He would never deny that he loved the power of parting a crowd thanks to the stripes on his sleeve.

As he approached the turbo lift, a small blue uniform appeared beside him, a familiar sweep of blonde bouncing along with it. Carol huffed, apparently out of breath from trying to catch up to him.

“Dr. Marcus,” Kirk smiled to her and stopped in front of the lift doors.

“Hello, captain,” she smiled back, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. “I need you to sign this.”

He took the PADD that she held out to him. “What—You’re transferring off the ship?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” He didn’t bother to hide the confused disappointment.

“I know that you make decisions to the best of your ability, that you can’t be expected to alter those decisions because of one person. But I can leave without any consequences… so I will.”

It was the strained professionalism of her voice that tipped him off. “This is because of Khan.”

Her bottom lip tucked in and she reluctantly nodded.

“He’s in cryogenic sleep, Carol. He’s harmless.”

“It’s not that…” she shook her head with furrowed brows. “I just… can’t be around them. Around _him_. I still have nightmares about it.” She smiled, as if to make light of it. But contradicting the smile was a tremble in her voice. “I can’t stop seeing what he did on that bridge. What he did to you, to me… to my father.” Her voice failed her this time, and she cleared her throat to stave it off and maintain a strong front. “He nearly killed us all. I remember hearing the screams of this crew when the ship was falling from the sky. He caused all that, and just knowing he’s here… I can’t be on the same ship with such a monster.”

Kirk stared at her, his heart wrenching to see how close to breaking she was. He understood everything she was saying, she would have been crazy or unbelievably resilient to not be affected by those incidents a year ago. But in spite of his empathy, it was his selfish side that had a voice.

“I really wish you’d stay, Carol.” When she opened her mouth to continue her plea, he gently took her wrist. “I promise it’ll be fine. There’s security posted in the cargo bay and Dr. McCoy is monitoring them… It’ll only be a three day journey and they’ll be off our hands forever. The nightmares won’t go away by running.”

“Jim, he terrifies me.” She tried to laugh again, but it ended up a sob.

“All the more reason to see this through, right?” he offered with as much encouragement as he could muster. “They say the only way to overcome a fear is to face it.”

She looked at him with playful reproach. “This isn’t some phobia of spiders.”

“I’ll sign the transfer if you want me to,” he said with defeat, “but it’ll be against my preference.”

“Personally or professionally?” the question came out carefully, almost nervously.

“If I say both, will you accuse me of harassment?”

“Are you charged with harassment often, captain?”

“Never while I’ve been a captain,” he smirked.

She chuckled lightly, but fell quiet as she weighed her decision. Her eyes averted and he could see the inner conflict in her blue eyes. Maybe it wasn’t fair of him to beg her to stay. But they were going on a five-year mission as soon as the augments were delivered and he was looking forward to having her on the crew for it. Her narrow shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath.

“I’ll stay…” the words weren’t confident, but they were the ones he wanted to hear. She retrieved her PADD from him unsigned. “You’re right. I need to prove to myself that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Exactly,” his smile broadened.

“I’ll be seeing you around then, captain.” Hugging the PADD, she walked away.

His eyes lingered on her back longer than they probably should have before he finally stepped onto the turbo lift and directed it to the bridge.

 


	3. Chapter 3

They were almost one day into the voyage and keeping a steady course at warp 4. It didn’t matter what speed they were travelling at, though. It could never be fast enough for Kirk. The bridge was relatively quiet, save for the usual busywork of the crew and the repetitious beeping that drifted through the air. It crossed Kirk’s mind as he handed a signed PADD to a yeoman that this mission was going exceptionally smooth. And that was when there came an unfriendly bleep from the helm.

“Sir,” said Sulu, “there’s something coming right at us on a collision course!”

“Is it a ship or debris?”

There seemed to be no shortage of debris in Federation Space these days.

“I can’t seem to get a lock on it…” Sulu said distractedly, his focus jumping between the viewscreen and the helm controls.

“Can you at least get a visual?”

“Vorking on it, keptin!” Chekov chimed in, his hands flitting over the buttons. “Ze magnitude of ze object is immense, but sensors can’t seem to locate it.”

Kirk watched the viewscreen intently. All he could see was the blackness of space and specks of stars. “What’s your definition of ‘immense’, Mr. Chekov?”

“Ah…” the young Russian made a few befuddled noises and shrugged. “ _Big_ , sir. The measurements seem to fluctuate between 160 and 2000 meters…”

“Could it be a cloaked ship throwing off our sensors?” Kirk suggested.

“Unlikely,” Spock’s cool voice joined in from the science station. “Sensors are not reading cloaking or warp signatures. They are not reading any energy signatures in proximity of the _Enterprise_ at all.”

“Then what the hell _are_ we reading?” He asked anyone who had an answer.

“Only that something is coming at us and fast,” Sulu said rapidly. “Collision in thirty seconds!”

“Shields up!”  Kirk’s fist hit the intercom, his voice echoing out ship-wide. “Attention crew, brace for impact!”

“Collision in 10… 9…”

Kirk held his chair at the arm rests. “Can anyone get any kind of lock on it?!”

“6…5…”

“Negative, captain,” Spock said with certainty, but that didn’t seem to stop him from trying.

“3…2…1!”

Everyone braced themselves... and nothing happened.

There was a long, tense silence and gradually the crew began to exchange quizzical glances. The viewscreen still showed empty space, the sensors still reading nothing. But the helm continued to beep frantically at an impending impact. Kirk slowly relaxed, but his brow was still furrowed.

“Spock…” he said slowly, swiveling his chair around to face the Vulcan. “Is it possible the computers are malfunctioning?”

Spock half swiveled in his own chair, a pointed brow popping up as he looked to the captain. “That… _is_ possible, captain. I will investigate.”

Kirk hit the intercom. “This is the captain. I want all decks to report any unusual readings or possible malfunctions. Nothing has collided with the ship, but the ship itself doesn’t seem to know that. We will remain on yellow alert until this is resolved. Kirk out.”

“Captain…?” Sulu’s voice rose carefully. “Now I’m getting warnings of two things coming at us from opposite sides.”

“Any chance you can lock on one or both?” Kirk leaned forward in his seat, squinting at the viewscreen.

There were multiple _no’s_ from around the bridge as all stations failed to get any sensor readings.

“ _Engineering to the bridge!_ ” Scotty’s voice came through the speaker.

Kirk hit the button to reply. “What is it, Scotty?”

" _Wish I knew, Cap’n!_ ” the Scotsman scoffed. “ _We’re gettin’ readings down here that our engines are overloading and that the dilithium crystals have been completely removed. But I’m lookin’ at the bloody things wit’ m’own eyes as we speak—they’re snug in place and not a scratch on ‘em._ ”

“And the engines?”

“ _Still purring along with no radiation, even though the computer is tryin’ to seal the whole bloody deck. Tricorders cannae read any leaking emissions. The computer is givin’ every kind o’ warning that’s possible on a ship, except for a warp core brea—”_ A loud buzzing shrieked through the speaker. “ _Scratch that. According to the system, we are puffs of matter being scattered in all directions. Cap’n, there’s nothin’ wrong with the engines! I’d stake my life on it!_ ”

“Not necessary, Mr. Scott,” said Kirk. “We’re getting weird readings up here too. There’s gotta be something wrong with the computers. Keep looking into it nonetheless.”

“ _Aye, Cap’n._ ”

“Impact in five seconds…” Sulu announced. “3...2…1!”

Nothing.

“You gotta be kidding me…” Kirk said under his breath. The ship was just rechristened and was supposed to be better than new.

“Hull breach detected!” shouted a member on the other side of the bridge.

“Where?”

“The… bridge…?”

Kirk didn’t even need to take a look around to know that was bunk. “Okay, that’s it. Uhura, send a message to Star Command and let them know our computers are seriously faulty. If they want proof that a thorough check was done before launch, transmit the report to them.”

So much for smooth sailing.

 

* * *

 

 

The ship was a confused—borderline panicked—mess. Crew members were running all through the decks chasing the phantom problems that the computer constantly threw at them. Protocol demanded that every warning be investigated notwithstanding, which made everyone feel like a fool. Each announcement that came over the ship-wide intercom from Captain Kirk was increasingly more and more irate.

Marla had no idea sabotage was this easy, and she felt a surprising urge to smile. But the last thing she wanted to do was be the only crew member smiling in the madness that filled the _Enterprise._

Step one was underway, and it was time for step two.

 


	4. Chapter 4

“No, God damn it!” Dr. McCoy barked at one of the nurses. “Does it _look_ like Sick Bay is on fire?! We don’t need to evacuate. In case you haven’t noticed, the computers have lost their damn minds! I’ve always said it was a bad idea to rely on machines so long as we still have two eyeballs to see with…”

He gave the computer a hard smack. Personally, he was kind of glad to see the crew break away from their dependence on the computer system, even if it was under such wild circumstances. Every ten minutes, the ship was told to brace for impact. And every time, McCoy was probably the only one to do it. In the off chance that something _did_ hit the ship, he had no desire to bounce around the room like a bean in a tin can.

His nurses became more and more scattered throughout the ship as calls came in of injuries caused by carelessness and panic. There were only a couple of them left in the med bay where the doctor continued to battle his delusional computer.

“Doctor!” A frantic voice drew his attention to a young red-headed ensign rushing towards him breathlessly. “Doctor, I need your help!”

“What happened?” He had to grip her shoulder, firmly but gently, to keep her from toppling over. “Just breathe, ensign…”

“The cargo bay…” she heaved. “… An officer, he’s seriously hurt… I think something fell, I don’t know… there’s blood, he’s hardly moving, but he’s alive… You have to come, doctor!”

“Take me to him.”

There was no hesitation from McCoy. In all the craziness going on in the past hour or so, he wouldn’t have put it past someone to get themselves good and mortally wounded. Snatching up his med kit, he was running as fast as his legs could carry him to follow the redhead through the winding corridors of the ship. The turbo lifts were obviously out of order by the way they seemed to spit out a red shirt here and a blue shirt there.

When they reached the cargo bay, it was lit up by the yellow alert, casting cross-hatched shadows of the crates and cryo-tubes in all directions. It was a little dizzying, but McCoy swallowed down his complaints as he searched for the wounded officer. He was just about to inquire where the patient was when he saw a young security man sprawled on the floor. The doctor dropped beside him, immediately taking tricorder readings with one hand while he looked him over.

“I thought you said he was bleeding? I don’t see anything…” he trailed off as he looked over the readings. “What the hell… This man’s been drugged! Ensign—”

When he turned in his stoop, he found himself staring into the blasting end of a phaser. The blue tip told him it was on stun, but that didn’t keep his heart from stopping cold. On the other end of the weapon was the redhead.

“Stand up, please.” The words might have been polite, but her tone wasn’t.

As much as McCoy wanted to help the fallen man, he wasn’t injured, he was only sleeping and would be just fine without immediate medical help. So, carefully, the doctor rose to his feet, showing her his hands. With a gesture of the phaser, she directed him towards the sea of cryo-tubes.

“Keep walking…” she commanded curtly.

He did as he was told and marched.

“Stop there.”

It was with some reluctance that McCoy looked to the cryo-tube beside where he was told to stop. Sure enough, sleeping more peacefully than he had a right to, was Khan himself. He didn’t like where this was going. McCoy wished that for once he had listened to that small voice in his head that told him to stay on the starbase and off the _Enterprise._ The redhead took a stance on the opposite side of the cryo-tube, the phaser still directly aimed.

“Revive him.”

“Are you outta your mind?!”

“Revive him, doctor.” She repeated sternly. “I’m not asking.”

“I can’t,” he said truthfully. “Without special equipment or the proper sequencing, it’ll kill him if I try. Don’t get me wrong, I think it would be doing the universe a favor if I did, but I don’t want to be anyone’s executioner.”

Keeping the phaser on him, she bent to the side to pull something from the top of her knee-high boot. It was a disc, which she held for him to see. “It’s a good thing I have the sequencing then.”

“And how do you know it’ll work?” He was just stalling now.

“Because I downloaded it directly from the twentieth century ship that they were found on two years ago.”

Damn. That would do it.

“Look,” he said gently, “whoever’s putting you up to this doesn’t know what they’re asking. You wake this guy up and all hell breaks loose—”

“I’m acting alone,” she snapped. “Which means it’s up to me whether or not I shoot you for not cooperating. Revive him.”

“You know who this guy is, don’t you?” he pointed to the ghostly face in the window of the cryo-tube. “He’s responsible for the deaths of thousands of people—and that’s just in _this_ century! This isn’t just some man taking a nap, ensign, this is a sleeping dragon and he’ll kill us all just because you gave him the chance!”

As he spoke, her eyes had drifted away from him to fix on Khan’s pale and frosted face. Her expression was hard, but McCoy was sure he could see the flicker of doubt in her eye; the flicker that told him his words were striking some chord of humanity within her.

“Whatever your reasons,” he continued more gently, “you don’t want to do this.”

“No… I don’t…” she replied quietly. “But I have to. Please, doctor. Wake him up.”

She was resolved beyond all reason. There was nothing McCoy was likely to say at this point that would alter her choice and he knew it. If he refused, she would just threaten another medical officer to do the job, and there were plenty—albeit probably less qualified—to do it.

“Fine,” he said under his breath and held out his hand. “I’ll need the sequencing then.”

 

* * *

 

Due to the ridiculous flood of alerts from the ship’s system, Kirk had no choice but to order the _Enterprise_ to drop out of warp. The bridge went through waves of activity. There were moments where it became so quiet that things seemed normal again, other times it was _too_ quiet and a pin could be heard dropping—an uncomfortable scenario on any space vessel.

“One hundred twenty three… and a half… objects on a collision course, sir,” Sulu sighed heavily. “This time in a V-formation…”

“We’ve already gone through the rest of the alphabet,” Kirk rubbed his brow, a headache growing worse and worse. He was standing behind his chair, leaning heavily on the back of it. With any luck it would stop at Z and wouldn’t start the Klingon alphabet or something. “Spock. Anything?”

“Whatever is affecting our computer systems is internal, captain,” the Vulcan replied calmly. “The tampering has infiltrated so deep into the systems that it would be impossible to have been done from just any computer on the ship. If it is to be fixed, it must be done through one of the main terminals.”

Kirk was still for a moment, his brow furrowing as his stature straightened from his lean on the chair to look more fully towards his first officer. “You mean someone on the ship is responsible for this?”

“At least one individual,” Spock specified. “There could be more.”

Malfunctioning machines was one thing, sabotage another. “You’re sure?”

“If by ‘sure’ you mean ‘certain’—yes, I _am_ certain the computer has been deliberately interfered with. No, I am not certain how many or whom.”

“First order of business is to fix the computers before we fly into a moon.” Kirk’s voice was strained, the anger bubbling up towards whoever the traitor was. “Get maintenance on it, Mr. Spock…”

“Yes, captain.”

Sauntering back to the chair, he patched through to the med bay. “Dr. McCoy, how’re things going down there?”

No response.

“Doctor!” No response. He groaned with annoyance. “Lieutenant Uhura, are the coms working?”

“They are, captain, there’s just no response…” her own voice was flustered with the overwhelming error lights that filled her station.

“Bones, respond!”

“ _Captain!_ ” a woman’s voice responded. “ _This is Nurse Yulins. Doctor McCoy isn’t in Sick Bay at the moment._ ”

“Thank you, nurse…” he switched from a direct channel to ship-wide intercom. “Dr. McCoy, report to the bridge immediately.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

“ _Dr. McCoy, report to the bridge immediately._ ”

Captain Kirk’s voice echoed curtly through the ship, his patience clearly worn to its thinnest. But he had to go ignored, and though McCoy focused attentively on his work, she could see the deepening crease of his ever-constant frown at the call of his captain.

Marla had given Dr. McCoy the sequencing and now there was little else for her to do but watch. She had to remind herself how to breathe with each code that he manually punched into the circular control pad atop the cryo-tube. A voice within her was on the verge of screaming _No! Stop! This is a horrible mistake! Let him sleep!_ But something else within her stifled that voice of reason.

These codes were originally intended to be automatically activated by the system of the _SS Botany Bay_ , but now that the cryo-tubes were disconnected, things had to be done by hand, which raised the risk factor substantially for the sleeper inside. One code out of sequence and Khan’s already slowed bodily functions could stop altogether.

The doctor concentrated deeply on the readings of the tricorder. Though he was doing this against his will, she admired his diligence as a physician. “Heart rate beginning to accelerate above the cryo-stasis norm of four beats per minute…” he seemed to be talking to himself until his intent blue eyes locked on her, his brows knitted with warning. “There’s only one code left to pop this thing open and I have to administer the anti-freeze and stimulant to wake him up. It’s not too late to stop here and let him sleep none the wiser.”

“I know how dangerous he is, doctor…” she replied sharply. “Which is exactly why I’m doing this.”

“That probably somehow makes sense to you, but from here it sounds like you’re outta your gourd.”

“Keep going.” This pause was dangerous to her resolution.

Without so much as an agreement or further protest, he continued. His fingers expertly tapped at the buttons, putting in the final code. There was the slightest reluctance before he hit the last button. The cryo-tube gave a hiss, the clamps inside clanging against the metal shell as they pulled back. Marla moved forward to help the doctor pull the top of the tube free, removing the barrier that separated them from the sleeping figure. Frosty mist poured out of it like thin smoke, making the entire scene even more surreal than it already was.

With a wave of McCoy’s hand, a majority of the vapor was fanned away and he leaned into the cold air that now emanated from it. He already had his hypo ready and pressed it to Khan’s white throat. The anti-freeze was injected, sounding like nothing more than a wisp of air through the hypo-spray.

Her eyes were fixed on Khan’s face. Color was gradually returning to those sharp cheekbones, the frost already melting into his black hair at the scalp. Then, there came the first sign of life when his eyes twitched beneath the closed lids. All the while, McCoy was reloading the hypo with the promised stimulant. The tip was pressed to the same part of Khan’s throat, but McCoy hesitated again.

“God help me…” Holding his breath, he injected it.

Almost instantaneously, Khan’s eyes flashed open, his pupils so blown that his eyes showed glowing rings of green around sheer blackness. His mouth opened to pull in air in one long hoarse breath, his chest expanding to its fullest. His breathing was irregular, the eyes she had always remembered as keen and penetrating now bleary and confused. But with each blink, he seemed to become more cognizant. He first focused on McCoy, the air still sucked in through his mouth with obvious pain.

“How long…?”

“Only a year,” McCoy grumbled.

Khan had scarcely looked at her yet. If she left now, he would never even know she was there, and one foot moved back with the temptation to do just that. And yet, there was a creeping sensation of joy to see him alive and so near her. She wanted to speak his name, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out.

His body was visibly trembling, his muscles clearly contracted as his body fought to normalize with the aid of the stimulant that flowed through his veins. She had never seen him look so weak, but his spirit seemed as indomitable as ever as he forced his body upright, gripping the sides of the tube with stiffened hands.

“Where am I..?” he rasped.

“You’re on board the _USS Enterprise._ With the rest of your crew,” she answered, suddenly finding her courage along with her voice.

She had forgotten about the phaser in her right hand as she laid her left over his own. His skin felt like ice, but to touch him again, to feel the sharp edges of his knuckles finally solidified the reality. She ventured to lean in, to try to catch his gaze and help him to see her— to remember her. Her heart pounded with fear and hope.

“Khan…”

He looked to her through the damp strands of black that had fallen over his brow, his eyes focused in and out until they locked onto hers. Something silver glimmered through the green, and it reminded her of a hungry predator. She had seen that look before and it made her retract her hand and step back.

“ _You…_ ” he hissed.

“It’s Marla,” her voice trembled as she spoke tenderly, but her legs were carrying her backward. The last time he looked at her, it was with pure adoration. The look on his face now was pure blood thirst.

Slowly, like some freshly awakened vampire, he began to crawl out of the cryo-tube. His eyes were locked on her, his pale lips gradually pulling back into a sneer. He leaned heavily on the tube, his legs not fully prepared to support him. His unbalanced state made it easier for Dr. McCoy to reach out and clasp a hand on Khan’s bicep.

“You shouldn’t be moving!” the medical officer in him seemed to overcome everything.

But Khan, unsurprisingly, wouldn’t be deterred by such a feeble thing as doctor’s orders. He easily wrenched himself free and followed his fastened line of sight towards Marla. She continued to inch backward.

“S-stay away!” Her attempt at warning quickly became a plea. “Khan, please don’t—”

The sudden onslaught of terror made her body freeze just long enough for him to overtake her. The next thing she knew, she was looking up at the ceiling of the cargo bay, pain shooting through her as her spine was bent backward over another cryo-tube. It was only when she couldn’t breathe that she was conscious of the icy hand that had latched around her throat. Her legs cut through the air as she kicked madly, her fingers clawing in vain at Khan’s hand. She had no time to be heartbroken or confused. All she knew was that she was about to die.

Her vision was quickly dimming, her struggling pulse pounding in her ears. The hand suddenly let go and she dropped onto the floor in a heap. Oxygen returned to her in a fit of coughing, through which she was barely aware of a brief struggle above her. McCoy had bravely grabbed the awakened augment by the shoulders to save her, and only succeeded as far as he had because of Khan’s current weakness. Unfortunately, the poor doctor wasn’t quick enough on his feet to dodge the backhanded swipe of Khan’s hand. McCoy was knocked to the floor cold.

During this, Marla had gained enough time to grab the phaser that she had dropped. The end snapped from blue to red as she switched it to kill and pointed it at the looming figure of Khan. She was still on the ground, her breath now wheezing from the bruise to her trachea.

“Stay… away…” she demanded.

Rather than any human reply, he growled and leaned back on the empty cryo-tube that he had emerged from. His shoulders protruded sharply as his head hung low, his ribs rising and falling rapidly to take in air. The way he still looked at her like an insect to be stomped out created a new pain within her, one that struck her at the core.

“What happened to you?” The question came out weakly. He looked exactly the same, and yet it was hard to recognize him. “Why do you want to hurt me…?”

“Hurt you?” he said huskily, his eyes narrowing with clear contempt. “That would be too small a recompense for your betrayal!” He heaved in a breath, his vocal chords still clenched from the cold and his lean frame swayed slightly.

“Betrayal?” The word almost had no meaning to her when it was uttered from his lips. She was confused. He had given her the choice to escape with him or let him go alone, and to her it wasn’t a choice at all. At the time she was once convinced that she belonged at his side. “Because I didn’t show up in the hangar to leave with you?”

“Because you denounced me to Marcus!” his voice bellowed through the vast space of the cargo bay. “Because you helped them to take _everything_ from me!”

She stared with disbelief. “You think I was working for Marcus? Is that what they told you?”

“Could you really convince me otherwise?” he answered bitterly, his face lowering tiredly into his hand.

“So you were content to believe I was—what? A spy?” Her voice cracked as she realized how little she meant to him. “You didn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt to find out the truth? After all the time we spent together? After I—No…” she finally forced herself off the floor and onto her feet, the phaser lowered and held at her side. “No, I won’t explain myself to you.” She spoke proudly, but the ache in her heart burned her eyes. “You can assume what you like about me if it’s that easy for you to believe. But I’ve _seen_ what you’ve done _,_ Khan! I saw what you did to the Kelvin Archives, to Starfleet Headquarters, and San Francisco. I know how you nearly obliterated this ship and everyone on it without mercy!”

He was still. His face was hidden in his hand and though he made no reply, save for slow, deep breaths, she knew he heard every word.

“I gave up everything for you,” she felt foolish for saying it aloud. “But after what you’ve done, you make me wish that I _had_ denounced you,” the words came out sharply, tinged with every ounce of agony that was tearing her apart on the inside.

He finally exhaled and the breath was shaken. Lowering his hand from face at last, he looked at her. His expression was hard, the muscles in his jaw jumping and his eyes dimmed with tears.

“Then why did you wake me?” his voice was startlingly weak.

She didn’t know how to answer and would not be afforded the chance when a voice echoed out over the intercom.

“ _Doctor McCoy, report to the bridge! Bones, where the hell are you?_ ”

The sound of the captain’s voice brought a spark of life into Khan’s bleary eyes, his gaze lifting almost expectantly to the tall ceiling. His voice was so low that it seemed to make no sound, but she clearly saw him mouth the name _Kirk._ Khan had a history with Kirk, she knew, and the predatory look in Khan’s eyes reminded her of their situation.

“We can’t stay here,” she glanced to the fallen doctor worriedly. It was a relief to see that he was breathing, since she had no intention of him getting hurt in the first place. “I’m going to help you,” she looked to Khan. “Like I’ve always helped you.”

The slightest of bewildered frowns appeared on his face, but he didn’t question it. Collecting himself, he rose to his full stature. His shoulders squared and his head was held high, but his stance still wasn’t quite convincingly strong.

“Why is the ship on alert?” he asked.

“The ship’s systems are malfunctioning… Because I hacked into them.”

There was a twitch at the corner of his mouth, one that might have been a hint of a smile. He extended his hand towards her, palm up.

“Give me the phaser,” he commanded.

She felt the strings beginning to attach to her limbs little by little, stealing away her ability to disobey him. But she resisted long enough to speak.

“Only if you promise me one thing.” It was laughable that she even pretended to have any sway here.

His head canted a bit with curiosity.

“Promise me,” she said clearly, “that you won’t harm anyone.”

He didn’t even pause to consider her terms. “I will do whatever I deem necessary.”

It was worth a try. There was little one person could do when a beast is on the rampage. She resigned the weapon to him, almost expecting it to be turned on her and fired without warning. Clutching the weapon, he marched past her towards one of the many doorways of the cargo bay. She had to jog to keep up with him, and as they moved briskly, she saw him switch the phaser from kill to stun.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Doctor McCoy, report to the bridge! Bones, where the hell are you?”

Kirk was getting sick and tired of repeating himself, especially above the noises that filled the ship. Reports were flooding in from all decks, describing problems as minor as malfunctioning replicators making steak jam, to more serious occurrences of doors closing on crewmembers. He was hovering over the communications console on the bridge where Uhura was frantically taking in phantom hails, all the while trying to send her own.

“Have _any_ transmissions been sent?” he asked shortly.

“I don’t _know_ , captain,” she snapped back. “I have no way of knowing what’s being transmitted or received…”

“Someone’s sabotaging my ship, lieutenant! We need contact with Star Command!”

“Don’t you think I’m trying?” her black hair whipped around as she flashed a look over her shoulder at him. It was then that Kirk saw the anxiety on her face.

“Sorry…” he said. “Carry on.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied with a deep breath, immediately tuning him out as she worked.

“ _Captain, report from the cargo bay!_ ” a panicked voice came over the intercom. “ _Dr. McCoy’s been found unconscious, sir! And one of the cryo-tubes is empty!_ ”

He felt suddenly cold and sick.

“I want a unit of security at the cargo bay! I’m on my way! Spock, take the conn!”

The final command was given on his way off the bridge without bothering for a reply from the Vulcan. It was a long, winding run through the ship with the turbolifts failing to work properly. It wasn’t until he was sliding down the fourth gangway ladder, a little short of breath, that it occurred to him he should have listened to Bones about that diet plan. Along the way, he met up with a handful of the security men who handed him a phaser.

When they reached the cargo deck, there was a nurse crouched over the sprawled figure of McCoy on the floor between the rows of cryo-tubes. One of which was dismantled and obviously empty. Kirk dropped to a knee beside him, gripping his shoulder a little harder than was probably necessary.

“Bones!”

The doctor groaned, a frown appearing that indicated he was coming around. The nurse, meanwhile, continually hovered a tricorder over his head. The right side of his face, from cheekbone to mouth, was already bruising and there was a trickle of blood on his chin.

“Bones, you alright?”

With the help of both the nurse and Kirk, McCoy slowly sat up, a hand cradling his head. “I feel like someone threw a moon at me… But at least all my teeth are still there…”

Relief washed over Kirk to see and hear his friend responsive. It made it easier to move on to the more immediate issue. “One of them got out. What happened?”

The reminder had the doctor suddenly grip him by the arm. “It’s that bastard Khan!”

“Are you sure?”

“’Course I’m sure, I’m the one who woke him up! Jim, he’s got a confederate. She pointed a phaser at me to make me do it. I don’t know who she is, but Khan sure as hell seemed to. I thought he was going to kill her, so I stepped in and… well, ended up on the floor. She’s not lying around here too, then?”

“I didn’t see any woman… _You_ woke him up?”

“If I didn’t she would have found someone else to…” the doctor mumbled as he gingerly poked his bruised cheek. “Don’t look at me that way, Jim, I wasn’t going to wake that son of a bitch without some insurance. The stimulant I injected to wake him up was laced with enough tryxolene to knock out three Gorns. All it took was a little slight of hand.”

“You drugged him?” Kirk wanted to laugh and hug the country doctor. But he remembered just how hard it was to take down the likes of Khan. The man had a skull like bowling ball, and Kirk nearly broke his hand once trying to crack it. “How do you know it’s enough?”

“To be honest, I don’t… But from I recall in studying that superblood of his, it should slow him down quite a bit. Help me off the floor, will ya?”

Kirk did just that. Once they were both on their feet, he glanced to the redshirts that swept the place.

“Are the other tubes intact?” he called out.

“Yes, sir!” shouted one of the security officers. “And there’s a few crewmen unconscious around here… Three so far.”

“Take care of them, doctor.” With quick strides, Kirk was at the nearest console where he connected himself to the bridge. “Mr. Spock!”

“ _Yes, captain_.”

“Khan’s awake. Put us on red alert and keep working on those computers. He has an accomplice in the crew— a woman. I’ll be leading security to hunt them down. Keep me posted on any progress or further issues.”

“ _Yes, captain._ ”

He switched to the ship-wide intercom. “Attention crew of the _Enterprise,_ this is the captain _._ The criminal John Harrison, also known as Khan, has been awoken and is now loose on the ship. I’m issuing Security Protocol 13. I want everyone armed and to shoot to kill. Kirk out.”

The ship’s decks flooded with red, the alert sounding through every deck and room. The fact that Khan was now free on his ship with an unknown ally was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he was confined within the space of the starship and therefore had less places to hide. On the other, it was something akin to being trapped in a cage with the shark on the inside with you.

“Lieutenant!” he flagged the security officer nearer, who stood at attention in front of him. “Assemble your men. If we’re going to hunt this guy down, we need to be as organized as possible. Hop to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

She was amazed at how quickly he had his bearings. He had been sleeping for a year and was moving through corridors of the starship that she was sure even the chief engineer didn’t know about. The way was lined by red lights of the alert, the security concerns announced intermittently over the intercom along with more malfunctioning errors. It let her know that her hacking into the systems hasn’t yet been resolved.

Marla followed his every step, and though he never turned to regard her or shoo her away, he occasionally offered the slightest gesture of a silent command. Khan obviously knew where he was going and why without needing to pass it by her first and it didn’t occur to her to question it. It was a part of her nature that she quickly discovered upon meeting him for the first time—that he could lead her and she would follow without ever asking where they were going. Or maybe it was _his_ nature that everyone else felt compelled to follow.

                In one of the narrower hallways he suddenly stopped and took a sharp turn. He tucked the phaser into the back of his trousers and disappeared into an alcove. She could hear his boots clanging on the steps of a gangway ladder. So, up she went too. When she came to the top, they were on the next deck. He had the phaser in hand again and paused. His line of sight traced the lines of the curved walls as if he could see right through them. Those probing eyes then glanced to her, a curt movement of his head indicating that they move again. And again she followed.

                They went briskly for a few feet along the eerily empty hall. Suddenly, something happened that she had never seen.

 _He stumbled._ His shoulder hit the wall hard and he braced a hand against it as if a gust of wind had suddenly blown him over.

                “What’s wrong?” she asked from afar, not daring to venture too close, in spite of her instinct to do so.

                “It’s nothing.” Now that he finally spoke, she could hear how out of breath he was. His voice had even lost a bit of its crisp edge.         “This way…” he said under his breath. Pushing from the wall, he was off again.

                But as he moved his gait was uneven, his path taking him in more of a zigzag than a line. He was drifting nearer to the wall where a pale hand occasionally reached out to touch it. She couldn’t stay back any longer and stole to his side.

                “Something’s wrong with you,” she said firmly to hide her concern and took his arm. “We need to stop before you collapse.”

                “Not yet,” he snapped. Wrenching his arm free he looked ahead down the corridor, his eyelids heavy.

                From his profile, she could see how wan he was, the dampness of his brow, and labored breathing. Khan, the superior human, was fatigued and uncoordinated. As much as she told herself that she hated him, she was suddenly scared for him. He practically hugged the wall and continued on, his eyes continuously squinting, then widening, blinking, and staring. The less he seemed able to focus, the slower his steps became.

Meanwhile, she looked left and right to keep a weather eye open for redshirts. “Tell me where we’re going and I can help.”

He didn’t react this time when she took hold of his arm, because it was the only thing keeping him from buckling over.

“We need to locate the number three relay junction on this deck…” he explained rapidly, his articulation heavy. “It connects directly to their communication controls.”

“We just passed number four, it can’t be much farther.”

She pulled his arm and the muscle felt unusually soft. There were a few tremors in the tissue and an overall weakness. He was becoming heavier and heavier in her grip, and through the thin fabric of his shirt, he felt strangely cold. Something was definitely wrong and she tried desperately not to care.

“Here!” She turned him towards the ladder that led into the Number 3 tube. “Can you climb it?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he eased out of her grip and began to pull himself up the steps of the diagonal ladder. Rising up in the wall was the cylindrical incline of the tunnel, a small ladder the only means of hoisting a body inside to get to the bundle of critical circuits and components. His muscles quaked under the strain, his breath hissing out almost angrily at the unaccustomed effort. But, he made it into the small space, perching himself on the metal steps.

It was difficult to see what he was doing from where she stood at the opening, but she could hear his fingers tapping down on the key pad to access the panel. There was a beep and it swung open in front of him. Regardless of his fatigue, he worked meticulously. Finally, the console gave a cheerful beep and a series of ominous warning buzzes sounded throughout the ship.

 

* * *

 

Uhura’s console suddenly lit up red on its various screens. All of the buzzing and static that had poured out of the receiver in her ear suddenly dropped into a steady, almost inaudible hiss.

                “Communications are completely dead, commander!” she shouted, her hands never stopping in punching in overrides. “Ship intercoms, too!”

                Spock, who had been working as tirelessly as the other officers at his science station, appeared beside her. He too attempted the same overrides.

                “It’s no use, it’s been cut off.” She was a little embarrassed by how her voice shook, and Spock all the while was the calmest soul in the middle of a growing crisis.

                “Taking into account the consistently false error messages we have been receiving, the computer cannot be trusted at face value. Continue sending out emergency broadcasts, lieutenant.”

                His use of formalities did nothing to ease her growing fear. The less the ship cooperated, the more useless she felt. But she didn’t hesitate or stop, no matter how much she wanted some humanistic reassurance from Spock. So long as he stood beside her, she hoped for at least a look—since a Vulcan could say a lot with just his eyes—but the computers had his undivided attention. And rightly so, she knew. Spock moved away without a glance to her.

                “Reports from all stations,” he addressed the bridge crew collectively.

                “Still getting collision and proximity alerts, sir,” Sulu said with agitation.

                “Computer reports all veapons emptied from their docks, commander,” said Chekov. “But the veapons bay personnel report all torpedoes still in their tubes and phasers still fully charged.”

                “Ship’s power supposedly fluctuating from overload to ten percent, and nowhere in between…”

                “Hull breach in the sick bay… all rec rooms reported to have imploded…”

                “Deck four keeps trying to shut down for quarantine…”

                Uhura heard the reports from every corner of the bridge as they were given to Spock, all of them proven faulty or completely wrong. The more she tried to get communications working, however, the more convinced she was that her malfunction was genuine. Someone cut it off entirely.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Handfuls of security were dispatched throughout the ship and Captain Kirk himself led one of the units. It seemed like wishful thinking that Khan would have face planted somewhere in the ship thanks to the tryxolene that McCoy had given him. After all, Kirk was paranoid enough when Khan actually was sleeping in cryostasis.

He was marching down one of the hallways, phaser in hand and a wall of redshirts at his back, when the communicator chirped at his belt.

                “ _All communications within the ship have been disabled, captain,”_ it was Uhura.

                Kirk stopped and silently motioned for the security men to continue on. “You mean it’s an actual malfunction this time?”

                “ _Affirmative_ ,” Spock’s voice interjected. “ _It’s been manually disconnected from one of the maintenance shafts within the ship._ ”

                “Can you tell which one?”

                “ _Not specifically. Mr. Scott is identifying all of the service tubes that connect with communications. With the unreliability of the computer and the intricate system of maintenance tunnels, locating which one is the source will take some time._ ”

                “We don’t have time, Spock! Khan knows starships better than any engineer I’ve ever seen. He’s already cut us down to talking through communicators, which means this is only the first step of a takeover. Keep trying to fix the computers and as soon as you have a location on which conduit he sabotaged, let me know.”

                “ _Yes, captain._ ”

                Kirk switched to the open channel on the communicator. “Attention all security personnel. Divert search to all maintenance shafts, gangways, crawlways, and every other service tunnel on this ship. He’s hiding in the walls and if we can’t get him in there, we’ll flush him out of them. Kirk out.”

 

* * *

 

 

After disabling the internal communications of the ship, Khan was on the move again. But the walls were swaying around him, looking more liquid than metal. The last time he was revived there had been no such ill effects. Of course, the last time he wasn’t thrown directly into a survival situation, either.

                There was only one person to thank for his revival, and it was the same woman who had left his heart bruised and angry, who had exploited what fragment of love he had in him. She denied her betrayal, but he didn’t dare believe her. He had to remind himself that he was above giving in to wishful thinking. So long as he could get any use out of her, no matter what secret motives she may have behind helping him, he would take it—and never trust her. No matter the vague pain it caused him to look at her, or the overwhelming feeling of _need_ whenever she would take his arm to help steady his ungraceful steps in their trek through the nervous system of the _Enterprise._

                They descended two more levels, drawing nearer to the bowels of the ship where the engines droned stronger around them. There was one relay tunnel in particular that he sought which would paralyze Kirk’s command of the ship. It was another diagonal shaft that Khan reclined in, his back pressed hard on the metal steps as he reached for the panel. While he worked, Marla lingered at the opening, just as before. Her red hair looked like a dancing flame in his peripheral the way that her head moved to and fro on the lookout. Or waiting for her comrades, for all he knew.

                His task was taking twice as long as it should have. His vision occasionally blurred to the point of blindness, the coordination of his usually dexterous hands marred by quaking tendons. He was near the completion of his task, but his unreliable hands continued to hit the wrong buttons, starting the coding all over again. He was secretly glad that she couldn’t see his clumsiness. It was enough that she was already aware of his weakness.

Marla suddenly gasped from the mouth of the tube. “They’re coming!” she whispered up to him.

                The added pressure only increased his precision, and within a few button strokes, the code was put in successfully. As he descended down one step of the ladder his leg gave out from under him. He had to dig his fingers into the metal to keep himself from dropping out of the tube and into a heap on the floor. Boots on metal suddenly echoed through the small curved walls of the tube and he was crowded by another body. Marla had climbed the steps so quickly that in his reduced state he had no time to react.

                Her feet were balanced on the steps between his, her arms reaching to hit a different cluster of controls over his head. She laid her body along his in the diagonal angle of the tube, their bodies aligned in a proximity he had not felt in what seemed ages. Since he had last been with her over a year ago.

She almost didn’t seem to notice he was there the way she focused and worked so quickly to access the controls. He could hear a door wheezing open from somewhere down the corridor below as the enemy approached, just before she hit the last button and the opening to the service tube hissed closed and locked to hide them away.

                Her head turned to look down towards the sealed entrance, red strands tickling his face. He could feel her holding her breath. Her fear of capture seemed genuine. But he once thought the same of her affection for him. In that stagnant moment, he realized one of her hands had latched itself under his arm and was the only thing holding his failing body in place.

                “We can hide in the tunnel junction,” he whispered, his lips already near enough to her ear that he needed no volume. “I’ve just disabled the helm of the ship… It is only a matter of time before they find out where from…”

                She finally began to breathe again, though shallowly, and he could feel it waft on his throat as she looked to him worriedly. “But you can hardly move.”

                Her eyes were astonishingly clear in the dimness of the tube. He forced himself to look upward, under the pretense of gauging their position. “It is only a few steps. I can make it… With your help.”

                He could feel her staring at him and he knew she was just as surprised as he was that he could ask for help so easily. It was less of a choice than he preferred and without a word, she helped him climb the short distance up the metal steps.

                The tube junction was dark, lit only by the small service lights that lined the corners where each wall met. The length of it was longer than it was tall, where only a small child could stand properly without bending their spine. Each wall was lined with a row of control tubes, each leading to a specific deck and containing specific functions. The tube they emerged from had them crawling out of the wall on the level of the floor.

She climbed out first with agility before taking his arm and hoisting him out of the shaft. But he only let her pull him as far as a recline on the cold floor before he jerked himself free from her grasp. Scooting away from her, he pushed himself into the nearest corner where his shoulders melted into the intricate and uneven surface of the wall. With the phaser gripped tightly, he practically curled into himself like a wounded animal.

The further he was from her, the better. His bitterness wasn’t yet prepared to give in to his desire, and the numbness that threatened to swallow him whole made the need stronger. He wasn’t even aware of his eyes closing until they opened at the sensation of something soft pressing to his forehead.

                “You’re freezing…” Marla’s tone was flat, masking any concern in her simple observation. But her face told a different story the way her brows were knitted together and her eyes wide. “Something must have gone wrong in the sequencing…”

                Her fingers combed the damp strands of black from his brow to clear the clammy flesh, and it made his eyes fall closed again. He had almost forgotten what it was to be touched.

                “There was nothing wrong with the sequencing…” he finally spoke quietly. “Though, perhaps you should have watched Doctor McCoy a little more carefully…”

                “How could he have done anything? I was watching his every move.”

                Khan blinked hard, his eyes lifting to the low ceiling behind her. It was blurred, waving, and seemed both near and far. “I’ve been drugged…” he hissed slowly. “…my body is combatting the effects….”

                “What can I do?”

                She volunteered without any hesitation and it almost surprised him.

“It will pass.… Just make certain we’re not discovered.”

                “I think we’ll be fine for a while. They’re sure to be scrambling after what you just did.”

                She sounded distant, but he thought he heard a smile in her tone. Or maybe it was his own fancy fabricating it. He was vulnerable and she could easily kill or betray him, but in that small confined space of the tube junction, he didn’t feel alone. With the thrum of the ship vibrating through the wall at his back, he was coaxed into a half-sleep.

 


	9. Chapter 9

“ _Captain, the helm is inoperative!_ ”

Sulu’s voice had reached a higher pitch through the communicator, but it was the words that made Kirk’s heart drop a little lower towards his stomach.

“ _Cuttin’ in, cap’n,_ ” Scotty joined in with equal panic, “ _if we cannae control the ship, we have no choice but to shut down the engines. It won’t stop us from movin’ in whatever direction it is we’re goin’, but it’ll at least ease up our ramming speed should we approach anything else floatin’ in space._ ”

Kirk silently took in a few deep breaths as he listened to the frantic voices in the communicator. Once again, he let the security officers continue in their sweep of the ship without him. Khan was slowly tearing them apart from the inside. He hadn’t seen him or heard him, but he knew the son of a bitch was around there somewhere. What was worse, he wasn’t alone this time.

“Alright, Scotty, do it. And have you pinpointed any of the maintenance shafts connected to either communications or the helm?”

“ _Searching as fast as I can, cap’n._ ”

“We just lost our helm, as fast as you can isn’t enough!”

“ _Jim, have you ever seen the schematics of a starship before? Everythin’ is mapped out beautifully, except for the bloody maintenance shafts! Finding out which of the millions of circuits is connected to which of the hundreds of functions on this ship is like tryin’ to—”_

“Scotty, I swear to God, if you use a metaphor to make your point…”

“ _Well, it’s not easy!”_ the Scotsman snapped back defensively.

“You always say you know this ship better than anyone, just give me a way to track him!” He switched the channel to the security team. “Lieutenant Garrovick, continue to lead the search. I’ll be on the bridge.”

Snapping the communicator shut, he now had free hands for climbing gangway after gangway to the bridge. Man, did he take those turbolifts for granted. When he finally stepped onto the bridge, the climb had built up an embarrassing amount of sweat on his forehead. A quick swipe of his striped sleeve took care of it as he took in the various reports of no progress and continued errors. Sulu seemed ready to have a conniption fit at his dead helm, and it took everything Kirk had not to empathize too much. He had more to worry at the moment.

It wasn’t long after his arrival on the bridge that the engines shut down, their constant hum suddenly dying out and leaving the ship in a hushed stillness in which Kirk could feel the collective dread of his crew. They were now more or less dead in the water.

“Ship operations have reported minor progress in restoring the computer systems,” Spock’s voice came from behind him.

Kirk had to blink a few times to realize he had been staring at the viewscreen. “What? Oh, good. What kind of progress?”

“We now know that the saboteur has disabled the standard repair protocols.”

“…and?”

“And that they will not work, therefore _other_ methods are presently being pursued.”

Kirk stared at him, waiting either for more information or a punch line. But neither came. “God, you’re serious. That’s your idea of progress.”

Spock lifted a brow of genuine confusion. “It is more knowledge than we previously had on the matter, captain, and I did say only twenty two seconds ago that it was _minor_ progress…”

Spock’s sass was beginning to show, which reminded Kirk that his cool first officer wasn’t as unaffected by the situation as he pretended to be.

“Never mind…” Kirk sighed. “We need to figure out our next step. Or rather Khan’s next step. He’s meticulous and he knows the effect to every cause. I’m just not sure what his endgame is.”

“By his obvious intent to take control of the ship away from you and the crew, he intends to take control for himself,” Spock offered.

“But then what? He won’t find this a cooperative crew and he sure as hell can’t fly this ship with just himself and whoever that woman is. If there’s anything we have that he doesn’t, it’s numbers…” The chirping of the communicator on his belt interrupted all train of thought. “Kirk here.”

“ _It’s McCoy,_ ” the Southern drawl would have been hard to mistake. “ _With all the casualties trickling in and out o’ here, I managed to ID that girl who pointed the phaser at m‘face by manually looking through the ship manifest._ ”

“Who is she?”`

“ _One Ensign Madlyn Rhue._ ”

“Madlyn Rhue…” Kirk repeated the name slowly. “Why do I know that name?”

 _“I tried to transmit the file to you, but I’m pretty sure the computer sent it to Andoria instead. I sent Dr. Marcus to you with the information, she oughtta be there at any moment…_ ”

“Great job, Bones.”

“ _There’s one more thing, Jim. Dr. Marcus might have an interesting factoid or two to give you about our turncoat._ ”

At that moment, a familiar blonde came breathlessly onto the bridge, her cheeks alight from the long climb through the decks.

“She’s here now,” Kirk spoke into the communicator. “Thanks again, Bones…”

Carol moved briskly across the busy bridge, meeting both Kirk and Spock around the command chair. “I’ve brought the file, captain.” She held out a disc towards him. “Dr. McCoy said it’s her without a doubt…”

He took the disc and immediately put it into the console on the arm of the captain’s chair. With the push of a button, the information on the disc was projected on the viewscreen. The woman’s credentials, history, and official records spread across the large display, her picture in the center of it. It was the red hair more than her face that snapped Kirk’s memory to the cargo bay just before launch.

“I do know her, she was just transferred on.” He couldn’t help sounding angry about it. He _knew_ he sensed something off about her!

“Captain,” Carol stole closer to his side, her eyes moving from the viewscreen to him. “I know this woman. That is, I knew her a little over a year ago. But that wasn’t her name. And for as long as I knew her she was involved with Khan.”

“You mean she has a history with him?” There was only one kind of history on Kirk’s mind, and Carol seemed to read it loud and clear.

“She was in love with him,” she confirmed, but her tone seemed to have a touch of pity to it. “It was during the time that my father was overseeing the secret developments of new weapons. I was following these innovations, they were fascinating to me. I found out that they were primarily designed by John Harrison, who was stationed for some time at Starbase 12. So I forged a transfer there—”

“Do you ever go where you’re supposed to?” Kirk suppressed a smirk.

She smiled briefly but ignored the interruption. “I forged a transfer there so that I could meet the genius behind the designs. He was off starbase at the time, and so I approached Marla instead.”

“Her name is Marla then?”

“Yes. Lieutenant Marla McGivers. She’s a historian, and I saw her name more than once attached to Harrison’s on the records. They didn’t specify how she was involved, though. It wasn’t until later that I learned she was recruited in the revival of the augments when their ship was found adrift. She has a specialized knowledge of the twentieth century that made her invaluable at the time…”

“So…” Kirk felt strange forming this question. “How close _was_ she with Khan?"

Carol cleared her throat and tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. “Well, I… I didn’t exactly pry even though I became good friends with her in the short time I was there. It wasn’t until he returned to Starbase 12 that I actually met him, and only that once. I didn’t see her much after that, I only knew she was spending most of her free time with him. When I did see her, she was completely mad about him. She didn’t talk about him much, but she had that look in her eye.”

“A look, Dr. Marcus…” Spock interjected flatly, “is hardly a solid premise in which to conclude the interpersonal relationship of two individuals.”

Kirk let out a short burst of laughter. “You wish, Spock.”

 “I do not—”

“Don’t think no one sees you and Nyota making eyes,” he said under his breath, looking at the Vulcan knowingly.

Spock’s spine straightened with insult. “I think humans have a tendency to perceive things that are not—”

“Forget it,” Kirk waved a tired hand. “Whatever you think, Spock, there are some things humans have an intuition for. If Carol recognized a look on another woman’s face, I’ll take her word for it. But that only begs the question. Did…” Again, Kirk found himself uncomfortable on the subject and cast a nervous glance to Spock before looking to Carol again. “Did… Khan love her back?”

Carol could only give a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t know… I find it hard to believe that a man like that could love anything…”

“Then what happened to Marilyn after that?”

“Marla,” Spock corrected.

“Right, Marla. What happened to her?”

“Well…” Carol began thoughtfully, her eyes averting as she dug into her memory. “One day she came to me to say goodbye. She told me she was transferring, but she wouldn’t tell me where or why. There was more to it— I knew by the way she was acting. Suddenly, security officers came in and arrested her for conspiracy. I never saw her again after that. You can only imagine how furious and confused I was, so I went directly to my father. He only told me that Marla was in league with one of his agents who had gone rogue. He had one of his top officers watching her every move, because Harrison knew how to evade their surveillance. That was at the same time that all the official records were wiped clean of the prototype torpedoes, John Harrison, and even Marla McGivers. I couldn’t find her and I still don’t know what became of her.”

“You know now,” Kirk added sharply. “I’m sorry if you were friends with her, Carol, but we have to arrest her if we have the opportunity.”

Though Carol’s eyes were misted with tears, she gave a firm nod. “I understand, captain. I just… I don’t understand what she sees in him… How she could let him loose on the ship. We don’t even know where he is, do we?”

It wasn’t until the fear shook itself to the surface of Carol’s countenance that Kirk felt the guilt. She was currently plunged into the middle of her worst nightmare—stranded on a ship with Khan lurking around in it—thanks to Kirk’s selfish insistence that she stick around. She was trying to be strong, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her in tight and reassure her. But there were protocols to be observed while they were on the bridge, and he was all too aware of Spock looming behind him.

“It’ll be all right, Carol…” he said quietly. A firm hand on her shoulder had to suffice, but it felt pathetically meek in the comfort department. “With everything you’ve told me about his accomplice Madison—”

“Marla,” both Spock and Carol corrected in unison this time.

“ _Marla_ —we’ll have a better chance against them both. If it can be helped, no harm will come to her.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Carol never looked away from him. “Please, I need to do something.”

“Captain,” Spock stepped forward. “Perhaps Dr. Marcus could assist engineer Scott in repairing the terminals. Her proficiency in forging official documents suggests that she has sufficient knowledge of the systems to do so.”

The look of impending panic on her face told him that she intended to be helpful on the bridge where it seemed safe. After all, it was more than likely that Khan was slithering around somewhere in the lower decks.

“Actually,” Kirk propped his fists on his hips and glanced around the bridge. “We have a few people working on the circuits from up here. I think Dr. Marcus could be a big help with that.”

“Captain—”

Spock’s protest was silenced by a sharp glare from the captain’s blue eyes.

“She’s staying up here, Spock.”

The Vulcan didn’t bother to reply and sauntered away. Spock was peeved, but it was all worth it to see some color return to Carol’s face and she mouthed two silent words to Kirk. _Thank you._

 


	10. Chapter 10

Marla could feel the cold seeping into her as she leaned on the wall of the tube junction. Having no choice but to wait, she sat with her arms around her knees to retain as much warmth as possible on the unforgiving hardness of the floor that was never meant for idle sitting. They had been there for half an hour and the adrenaline in her system was beginning to fail her. Hunger was settling in, as well as anxiety. She expected to be found at any moment.

Khan remained huddled in the corner. He looked strangely small, almost like a boy with how benign his face was when at rest, looking pale and free of those lines of anger and cruel intent in the poor light of the junction. She remembered how harmless he could look and she knew how deceptive it could be.

The droning of the ship that had mesmerized her into some minor state of calm suddenly died away, making the small room feel suddenly exposed. The abrupt silence was profound enough for Khan’s eyes to open. He didn’t look surprised in the least.

“They shut off the engines…” she stated the obvious at a whisper, afraid that they could now be heard throughout the quiet ship. “Did you plan for that?”

“Protocols…” he said wearily. “No helm capability requires the shutdown of all engines, including impulse power…. They will be reduced to thrusters only…. Thus far, the captain has been uncharacteristically by the book…”

“You talk like you know him,” she said dubiously.

“James T. Kirk…” he began, slowly stretching out his limbs with a wince, “…is creative, if not clever. He proved as much when I first laid eyes on him. He fashioned a makeshift weapon to take out the engine of my jumpship where a troupe of phaser rifles failed… Then, he ran shooting into a Klingon squadron that outnumbered him ten to one, jumped through space from one ship to another through a field of debris, and I have heard voluntarily climbed into a warp core to realign it. He thrives in the face of certain death and excels in chaos.”

Marla stared in wonder as she listened. She had never heard him speak of anyone with what sounded to be any degree of respect. What he was admiring was what the Federation had gladly dubbed heroism in Captain Kirk.

“If he excels in chaos…” she asked coldly. “Then why do you insist on creating it?"

The question seemed to suddenly exhaust him the way his eyes closed beneath a frown. “If there is ever to be order, then it must come in the wake of chaos.”

“Is that why you did it?” Anger was heating up inside of her, and she had forgotten to whisper. “All the terrible things you’ve done were for ‘order’?”

“At one time, yes.” His eyes opened again, looking strangely docile as they held a cerulean hue. “When Earth was fraught with wars three hundred years ago, it needed us to restore peace… But I’ve been awoken in a self-professed orderly world. You…” his voice softened a bit. “You knew better than even I did how irrelevant we would be in this time. But I still had the one purpose to cling to that inspired the launch of our ship into exile—to lead my people as I had led nations… though it would be into the darkness of space. I accepted that you would not want to follow, you belong with your _Starfleet._ ” He spoke the word as if it left a bad taste on his tongue.

At his talk of acceptance, her hand moved to the bruises on her neck that told a contradictory story. Though she didn’t consciously make the gesture, his eyes flickered to her neck and dimmed briefly with what seemed like regret.

“Everything I have done was for my family. But when Commander Lassiter intercepted my escape—when I had to leave them all behind—Marcus made me believe that he had killed them all…” a shaken breath was taken, his gaze at last lifting from her abused throat to meet her eyes. “And that it was you who made it possible.”

A pressure suddenly mounted within her, the need to burst out with the truth of why she never arrived in the hangar to meet him. That she was never a spy for anyone. She didn’t even understand why Admiral Marcus used the lie. But her pride prevented her from explaining anything to a man who caused so much pain and devastation. Her conscience had to prevail over her idiotic heart.

“You asked me _why_.” His voice dropped with resentment, his eyes narrowing and flashing a glint of green. “By Marcus making me believe my crew was dead and that you had used me as easily has he had, I was left with nothing. I was alone in a world I do not belong to. I had nothing to fight for… but revenge. So my new and only purpose was Marcus. I was determined to make him feel the same loss. He is a man of war and would feel no greater pain than the death of his officers. I knew they defined him more than even his own daughter, so I killed as many as I could and all at once. Marcus then had to follow me to the Klingon home world—initiating his dream war under the flag of retribution was too great a temptation—and I waited for him there.

“However, I did not anticipate that my crew would be alive. It changed everything. What began as a means to kill Marcus became a second chance for me to save my crew, and I would take no chances. I had no mercy left for Starfleet, and the lives of my crew came before all others. Had Marcus sent any ship but the _Enterprise_ , I would have succeeded…” His face creased for a moment with scorn. “Marcus launched the _Vengeance,_ the ship that I helped build. It was fortuitous that he himself was on board and when I finally had him…” His voice lowered into a distracted whisper, his eyes flashing with remembered satisfaction. “I watched his final moments of terror, agony, and regret for the day that he ever found my ship.”

She didn’t understand the feeling that coursed through her as she listened. The hatred in his eyes and the ease in which he spoke of it made her shudder. And yet… her heart broke for him. He was at the mercy of his own out of control emotions and she couldn’t help wondering if his rage could have been quelled had he at least been spared the lie of her betrayal. She didn’t dare to ask when another question surfaced tremulously.

“Were you going to come after me too?”

He slowly shook his head. “No… I had the same hate for you as I did Marcus… but it was only with you that I feared succeeding. I didn’t want to find you.”

“And now that I’ve found you..?” She couldn’t help the nervous fingering of the bruises on her neck. She had never been so terrified of someone’s hands, and yet so desperate to be touched by them again.

“I want an explanation.” His voice was suddenly sharp. “For why you’re helping me. You’ve made it clear that you despise what I’ve done and what I am, so I want to know why you are risking your life now to help me. You are clearly still comfortable in uniform…” His eyes dipped with disdain to the red uniform that clung to her.

It insulted her to be judged by her clothes. If he only knew the false name and persona she had put on to get onboard the _Enterprise._

“I’m not just helping you,” she said sternly. “I’m helping everyone else. Ever since your ship was found, you’ve brought nothing but death and destruction. And nothing but pain has been brought to you and your people. There’s always going to be someone in the Federation who will keep using you all as science experiments and tools and you’ll continue to fight them until every last one of you is dead. I may not have had any control in your first revival, but I was still involved. You were once one of the fiercest leaders Earth had ever known, Khan… but you were also one of the greatest. No matter what I may think of you now, that won’t change. So I intend to help you and your people escape once and for all. To get you out of the reach of the Federation and Starfleet. What you do after that is up to you, as long as you stay away.”

The thoughts that had filled her mind for so long now flowed easily from her mouth as if she had rehearsed it. Even if she completely omitted what she went through to reach such a conclusion.

She waited for a reply of some kind. Something to tell her whether he was grateful or would spit in her face and reject the offer. But as he stared at her, she couldn’t read his face. His brows were knitted, but not downward in a frown. It was only when his softened eyes squinted with scrutiny that he finally spoke with a tone of wonder.

“How you’ve changed…” The more he looked at her, the more a grimace appeared, his jaw clenching as the following words came out more quietly. “Though I suspect I never knew you to begin with.… I trust you now only as far as it suits me.”

“Then it’s mutual.” She prided herself in her ability to speak firmly in spite of the distinct churning pain in her chest.

“And you find no need to justify yourself?” Now he was the one who sounded dubious. “To tell me what happened to you since I had last laid eyes on you in the hangar of Starbase 12? When you swore you would come with me—in your words—‘no matter what’?”

He was mocking her. Making her into a liar. “I don’t have anything to justify—”

One of the tubes suddenly beeped, its latch hissing open. Marla had barely glimpsed a red-uniformed hand with a phaser when Khan fired his own weapon into the narrow opening. The blast of the phaser gave her flash burn and she heard the shouts of crewmen echoing into their small junction.

Khan, who had been languid with weariness only seconds ago, now rolled from his corner with frightening agility. He fired another shot, but this time it hit the control pad beside the entrance of the tube. It beeped angrily and slid shut, the circuits smoking. Long limbs carried him like a spider to another tube, and when he was satisfied that there were no red shirts waiting for him on the other side, he took her hand and led her silently through it.

She wondered briefly if the security men that Khan fired at would recover all right, but her fingers curled around the strong hand that pulled her into the maze of service tunnels that ran throughout the _Enterprise_.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Kirk was beginning to pace like a lunatic in a padded cell. This wasn’t how the captain of a starship should feel on his own bridge. But he moved impatiently from station to station, checking in and waiting for some sort of good news. It all seemed to be more of the same when he heard something that made him stop instantly.

The blaring error noises stopped.

More than one screen on the bridge faded from red back to the cool colors of blue. Then, Carol’s voice trilled from the engineering station.

“Systems back online, captain!”

She smiled beautifully at him from across the bridge, and he broke into a sprint to join her. He looked with cautious relief to the screens.

“All of them?”

“The ship’s main computer is functional again,” she explained. “But since the helm and communication relays have been manually disabled, they will have to be restored manually as well.”

“But now that the computers are working again, it’ll be easier to do it,” Kirk concluded with a sigh of relief, his hands falling to her slender shoulders. “Carol, you’re amazing!” Without a second thought, he planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Captain!” She reprimanded him with a blush, but didn’t try to pull away.

He wasn’t ashamed though; he honest to God wanted to kiss the blonde physicist into a coma. But the sound of deliberate throat clearing behind him snapped him out of all giddiness. Releasing Carol, he turned to find Spock staring at him.

“Is there something you want, Spock?”

“I intended to update you on Mr. Scott’s progress in locating the service tunnels that have been tampered with, but now I find there may be unwanted consequences to giving you a positive report.”

“Very funny,” Kirk said flatly. “What positive report?”

“I was being truthful, captain, not humorous.” Spock seemed compelled to clarify before returning to the business at hand. “Mr. Scott has identified all of the communication and helm control relays throughout the ship. We surmised that Khan would have gone to the first available conduits from the cargo bay…” Here, he leaned over the console and with the push of a button, brought the schematics of the _Enterprise_ onto the viewscreen. “Helm relays are indicated in green, communications in red.”

Kirk moved to the floor space in front of the viewscreen to look over the diagrams, the relays all highlighted thanks to Scotty. There was indeed a communication relay nearby the cargo bay.

“That has to be where he went first then… The nearest helm relay for him would be three decks up.” Blues trailed over the service tunnels that seemed to make up the skeleton of the ship. They were dotted in random and scattered places by the green and red highlights. “What’s your next step, you bastard…” he said under his breath.

“Khan is a master tactician,” Spock joined in as he stood close beside him. “You said yourself our greatest benefit is that we outnumber him. He will want to remedy that disadvantage.”

A connection was immediately made in Kirk’s brain and his lips parted with the sinking feeling that followed. “He’s going to engineering. He may be able to do a lot of things from the service tunnels, but engineering is the only place where he can get control of the life support systems. He could wipe out most—if not all—of the crew.”

“It is a variation of a tactic he threatened to employ before…” Spock murmured.

Suddenly, his eyebrow quirked. Where he failed in any expression, that eyebrow spoke volumes and Kirk felt a strange moment of telepathy in knowing exactly what it meant at this very moment. Spock was inspired.

“There is one trait in Khan that he has proven consistently, even in the alternate timeline, according to Mr. Spock.”

Kirk blinked and shook his head. “Hang on—what? You mean your other you… er, you told yourself about the other timeline? I thought that was a bad thing!”

Spock stared back at him as if he was speaking another language. “During the time that you and Khan were boarding the _USS Vengeance,_ I consulted my alternate self for more information. Mr. Spock was cautious about omitting crucial information that could alter this timeline. He only divulged certain behavioral patterns of our adversary that could be used to our advantage and which were ultimately used to defeat him in the other universe.”

“You were multitasking while I was in a boarding party with probably the most dangerous man in the universe?” Kirk said slowly. “Thanks Spock… Thanks for that. I think I’ll make personal calls the next time you’re on a life-endangering away mission.”

“If you recall, I was opposed to your decision to work with Khan precisely _because_ he was so dangerous. I simply wanted to learn more about him when I had the opportunity. Had I not, I would not have learned that Khan is particularly susceptible to implied facts without proof and I would not have been able to fool him when we beamed him his torpedoes without his crew.”

“You mean he’s gullible?” Kirk said cynically. The man was a genetically engineered genius, that didn’t seem like a flaw worth exploiting. But the more he thought about it, the more the pieces began to fall into place. “He _thought_ Marcus killed his crew and he went nuts. I convinced him to help me board the _Vengeance_ and it ended up really easy to get the drop on him and stun him. And then he went nuts again…Then he thought you sent him his crew, and you blew him up. Then he went nuts again and destroyed half of San Francisco.” He had to scoff at the revelation. “I’ll be damned, he’s gullible! Though I’m not so sure I like what happens after he’s fooled, Spock…”

“ _Security to the bridge!_ ” Lt. Garrovick’s voice came through. “ _Khan’s been spotted in relay junction C-2 on Deck 12!_ ”

Kirk immediately looked to the schematics on the viewscreen and fixed on the exact location. Khan hadn’t gotten very far at all.

“Did you see which direction he went?”

“ _Negative, sir. He opened fire and escaped. We don’t know if he went up or down a level._ ”

“Seal off the junctions between Decks 11 and 13. Try to enclose him in a smaller search area. The ship’s computers are functional now, use bioscanners to find him.”

“ _We already tried, sir. The computers are functional, but the bioscanners need to be recalibrated and can’t seem to lock onto anything in the meantime._ ”

“Great…” Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just keep trying to corner him the old fashioned way then while the scanners are being fixed.”

“ _Yes, sir!_ ”

“Captain,” the sharpness of Spock’s voice gave Kirk pause. “Are you certain of Security Protocol 13?”

Kirk had to blink hard at him. “That was issued hours ago, Spock. And why wouldn’t I?”

“If you recall, Admiral Marcus also once ordered Khan to be killed on sight…”

“Yeah,” Kirk scoffed with insult to have been compared to the likes of Marcus. “Because he blew up an archive that killed forty people. He’s done the same ten times over since then and he’s loose on my ship. I’m not taking any chances.” He leaned in discreetly. “I thought you would back me on this one.”

“I am not refuting the fact that Khan is a danger to everyone on this ship, or the Federation as a whole,” Spock also hushed his tone. “But you have specific orders to have him and all seventy-two of his people transferred to Regula I. It is your duty to fulfill that mission, and logically—”

“Fulfill that mission _within_ _reason_ ,” Kirk interjected. “The logic is loud and clear to me here, Spock, and it’s telling me that when something goes wrong, you deal with it. To hell with orders. Besides you have just as much reason to want that bastard dead as I do.”

“He is largely outnumbered and confined into smaller compartments of the ship. The statistical likelihood of his capture is increasingly in our favor, therefore the necessity to kill a prisoner who has already been tried and sentenced to suspended animation—not death—denotes Security Protocol 13 an extreme measure.”

Kirk still stared at him. It was as though Spock had wiped his brain of all the hell that Khan had put them through a year ago. Taking a deep breath, he kept his bubbling anger in check. “Okay… I get that you try to be logical, that you Vulcans are all about preserving life and opposing violence… But you can’t stand here and tell me that you would put this crew at the mercy of an insane superman just because you think we should follow orders. Bones told me that you chased Khan down through downtown San Francisco. He’s responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, including Pike. You were going to kill him because of everything he did…” He wasn’t about to assume it was just for him. “...and we both know logic had nothing to do with it.”

Spock’s face betrayed no emotions, his mouth a straight line and his usually indicative eyebrows unmoving. The more stoic he was, the more feelings Kirk suspected were being swallowed down.

“I know emotions embarrass you,” Kirk added more empathetically this time. “But I’m trying to make a point…”

“As am I,” Spock’s voice was cold. “It is precisely due to the fallacies of emotions that I am compelled to remind you of our duty. Had I killed Khan that day, his blood could not have been used to resuscitate you; the consequence of ungoverned emotions. For the same flaw, Admiral Marcus nearly succeeded in sending you as Khan’s assassin to unwittingly initiate a war. Do what you must, captain, but you must attempt at some objectivity. Your vindictiveness may be directed at Khan, but it may bring harm to anyone else who happens to get in the way, such as Lieutenant McGivers.”

 Kirk found it more and more difficult to look at him. It wasn’t the first time Spock had given him such a lecture, and Kirk hated the ring of truth in it. He hadn’t even been considering the wellbeing of Marla in this, when she was in the line of fire just as much as Khan. But to show even the smallest sliver of leniency towards Khan—even for Marla’s sake—broadened the potential for destruction so vastly that it quite frankly terrified Kirk. He couldn’t risk his crew for one traitorous woman and it was on the tip of his tongue to spit Spock’s words back at him regarding the _needs of the many._

“If we’re going to argue using ‘what if’s and ‘could have been’s, I wouldn’t have lost hundreds of people in my crew if I had shot him dead on the bridge of the _Vengeance_ when I had the chance. Instead I was sticking to _your_ logic of justice and rules. I’ll do what I deem necessary, commander.”

He hated himself for saying it, but he meant every syllable.

To let his first officer know that the conversation was over he walked away and took his place in the captain’s chair.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Marla never thought she would share the same experience as a rat in a maze. Of course, unlike a rat she had the advantage of a well-informed, genetically-engineered guide to take her through it. The grip of his hand around hers was firm—but never too tight—as she followed him along the turns and drops, moving from one junction to another through the endless conduits and tunnels. They were all identical, save for a few serial codes to identify them to the engineers who knew what they meant.

A small crawlway brought them to another tunnel junction, but this one was larger than the others. It was clearly one of the primary maintenance points in the ship because not only did it have a ceiling high enough for a human adult to stand upright, but each of its walls was made up of a computer terminal.

Khan finally let go of her hand to pull himself out of the crawlway, his body slowly sliding out as he stood up. He turned back to lean heavily on the opening of the shaft and reached inside for her. He was pale and looking especially uncoordinated, but he pulled her out of the shaft and placed her on her feet like a child. She told herself it was impatience on his part, not chivalry. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat and straightened her uniform with a blush.

“Do you know where we are?” she asked as she followed him to one of the computers.

“Deck 12, junction A-1.” The phaser was suddenly put into her hand. “Shoot anyone who enters. They’re closing in on us… It’s only a matter of time before we’re cornered and captured…”

She clutched the weapon tight, swallowing down the paranoia that Khan had unwittingly exacerbated within her. “What do we do now, then?”

“Balance the terms.”

He stooped over the controls, his hands looking strangely heavy as they punched buttons. His breathing was more labored than even hers, his eyes looking ready to close at any moment. The drug that McCoy dosed him with was still working strong, in spite of the bursts of adrenaline that seemed to keep Khan moving. It couldn’t keep up for long, she knew. Either the drug would give out, or Khan would.

“ _Ship intercoms back online._ ” The ship’s cool, feminine voice emanated from the computer.

Marla’s eyes widened at the screen. “What are you doing?”

A wearisome, if not diabolical, smirk appeared as he simply glanced to her. Then, he turned his shoulder towards the screen in an unmistakable prideful pose as he addressed the computer.

 “Connect me to the bridge.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Captain, we’re approaching an unknown planet,” Sulu announced.

Sulu’s report had Kirk’s spine straighten as he sat tiredly in his chair.

“Were we thrown off course?”

“I think so, keptin,” Chekov added. “Nawigation is still inoperative vithout ze helm, but according to ze little data ve have for telemetry, ve should still be vithin the Gamma 400 Quadrant.”

“We don’t know how much or how little we deviated from our original heading,” said Sulu. “We could be in any number of star systems within the quadrant…”

“We’ll just have to figure out where we are later,” Kirk murmured. “Can you put us into orbit with just the thrusters?”

“It’ll be tricky not to get pulled into the planet’s gravity, but doable, sir,” Sulu said confidently.

“Put us into standard orbit then…”

While Sulu complied, Kirk’s hand began to tap at the arm of his chair anxiously. Security had yet to report any luck in catching anyone in the tunnels of the ship, and they had been in pursuit for nearly an hour. Nearly half of security had been placed around the cargo bay to guard the cryo-tubes, and they had no reports of suspicious activity either.

“Sir…” Uhura’s voice carried through the bridge. “Intercoms have just been reactivated. But all other communications are still disabled.”

Kirk swiveled just enough to look to Uhura confusedly. “ _Just_ the intercoms?”

He had barely uttered the question when the viewscreen was suddenly filled with an unexpected image.

It was Khan.

The sharp angles of his face were contrasted between the dark shadows and the light of the screen in front of him. The hunt that had been going on through the _Enterprise_ was evident in the mess of black hair that hung over his eyes. He looked paler than Kirk remembered, his eyes encircled with shadows, but retaining the ferocious green that gave him such a predatory quality.

This was the first time he had seen Khan’s face out of cryostasis, and Kirk was momentarily stunned.

“Well, Kirk…” The baritone of Khan’s voice shook the bridge, an amused look of familiarity appearing. “Kirk, my old friend. The phoenix who rose from the ashes…” His eyes flickered to Spock, the amusement quickly extinguished into cold regard. “And Mr. Spock.”

Kirk finally pushed himself onto his feet. It felt rather futile, though, to try to stand tall when Khan appeared a giant on the viewscreen. “You’re running out of places to hide, Khan. If you surrender now, I might spare your life and the life of your accomplice, Marla McGivers.”

“Such threats don’t suit you, captain, they’re far too unconvincing,” his voice was drenched in condescension. “I know, however, that you will comply when I tell you to call back your men from their search.”

“And why would I do that?” Kirk could match his pretension.

“If you do not,” Khan began simply, “I can—and will—eliminate your crew. Then I will be free to move about the ship to revive my own people and commandeer the _Enterprise._ Your crew will be spared if you surrender your ship.”

“You’re trapped in a shaft,” Kirk spoke with more certainty than he actually had. “I’m not surrendering to a bluff.”

“Oh, captain…” Khan’s voice was husky, a hint of a smirk appearing. “Bluffing is an inferior’s contingency. I have never made a threat that I was not prepared to deliver. Call back your men and surrender your command.”

Kirk had almost forgotten the enormity of this man’s ego. It made his own look small in comparison, and that really was no easy feat.

“If you’re so damn superior,” Kirk smirked defiantly at him, “then why don’t you come out and meet me here on the bridge? Then you can fight me for it.”

He could feel the surge of fear fill the bridge as he gave the cocky challenge, and in his peripheral the crew looked to him to question his sanity. But Kirk was noticing something that they may not have—Khan was swaying.

“I could even have my men escort you here if you prefer.” Maybe Kirk was getting carried away, but the temptation to punch him one more time in the face before getting skull-crushed was irresistible.

Khan’s mouth had begun to turn downward with insult, but his gaze was wavering. “You have an unfortunate habit of allowing your arrogance to kill others, Kirk…” He sounded short of breath.

His mouth opened, no doubt ready to deliver more sinister threats, when his lithe frame suddenly listed to the side. Kirk was sure he was going to drop out of the image’s frame when a feminine hand suddenly appeared, bracing against Khan’s chest and holding him upright. It was then that she appeared just enough within the frame to reveal a red uniform and red hair. There was a hushed exchange of words between her and Khan that were inaudible.

Kirk took a breath to address her—now that he knew she was there—to offer her a way out and a chance to change sides, but something made him hesitate. He didn’t have the chance to speak when Khan seemed to have collected himself enough to return his penetrating gaze to Kirk.

“You have only moments to bid your crew goodnight, Kirk… You’ve clearly made your choice…”

The image faded back into a field of stars and the surface of an unknown planet.

 


	13. Chapter 13

 

As soon as the connection to the bridge was cut, Khan sank heavily to the floor. In her attempt to keep him upright, Marla dropped down with him under the surprising weight. All she could manage was to hold him in a sitting position, but he was slumped forward, his brow falling to her shoulder. His lungs worked laboriously, his breathing hoarse.

He only seemed to be getting worse and her own heart was pounding with growing panic. She wasn’t a medical officer; she didn’t know if he was about to fall unconscious or stop breathing altogether. Either way, when security would finally find them (at this point it was inevitable), she couldn’t possibly stop them on her own with nothing but a phaser.

“Khan…” She tried to level her voice so that he wouldn’t hear the fear. With all of his weight on her, she put both hands to his cheeks to lift his face. “Khan, open your eyes! You can’t relax now, you need to stay awake!”

His eyelids fluttered and she felt a fraction of relief when one of his hands coiled around her wrist, even if it was frail in its grip.

“We need to move,” she tried to alert him back into action.

Hooking her arms under his shoulders, she put all of her strength into pulling him up. But no matter how much he attempted to rise on his own, he was all dead weight and they were once again on the cold floor. The strain left her a bit winded. She simply sat there embracing him, letting his exhausted head lay on her shoulder as she contemplated what to do.

“My body’s failing me…” he said bitterly, almost ashamedly. “I cannot possibly flee or make good my threat like this… If I tell you how, can you do it?”

“I won’t kill anyone…” she snapped back at him, in contrast to the protective hold she had on him.

“Nor am I asking you to…” He clutched onto her to lift from his heavy lean on her, his weary eyes fixing on hers with forced vigilance. “There is a relay up that ladder… From there you can access the intruder control circuit to release neuro-gas throughout the ship… It will only anesthetize the crew….”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You won’t just kill them? Wouldn’t it be easier that way?”

He looked at her, curiosity showing through the fatigue. “Would you like me to?”

“ _No_ ,” she practically shouted.

The edge of his mouth pulled back into a hint of a smile. Was he teasing her?

“Are you sparing them because I asked you to?” She couldn’t help the skepticism in her voice.

“You have a singular power, Marla…” his whispers were so low that they were almost a mere rumble. “You… make me accountable....”

To hear him speak her name was enough to make her heart palpitate, but the confession that followed it dazed her. He brought his forehead to hers, feeling cold against her suddenly flushed skin. When his lips brushed hers, the simple contact sent a shot of electricity through her. Because she wanted it so badly, she abruptly pushed him at half an arm’s length.

“Tell me what I need to do,” her voice trembled as her chest clenched and she averted her gaze.

His drained face was now hard, his eyes shut beneath a frown as his head hung heavily from his shoulders. She didn’t want to embarrass him by rejecting the kiss, but she was terrified to let go of common sense. She could practically see him holding his pride intact as he inhaled slowly through his nose.

“Four codes,” he began almost robotically. “You need to memorize them all in the proper sequence… The first one will shut off the vents to these junctions… the second will shut them off to the bridge… the third will override the security circuits… and the fourth will release the neuro-gas.”

“I’m ready.”

She gave him her full attention, hardening her heart to the look of pain that lingered just beneath the surface of his stony countenance. She had her own mission to remember, and that was to help him escape. Not succumb to his affections, such as they were. Whatever they once had between them needed to be buried.

 

* * *

 

The bridge practically exploded with activity the instant the connection to Khan was lost. Scans were being made of the ship, inquiries sent out and received from security throughout the decks. Within minutes, an excited (but somewhat frightened) voice came through the now working intercom.

“ _Security to bridge!_ ” It was Garrovick. “ _We’ve tracked Khan’s position through the computer to Junction A-1 on Deck 12!_ ”

Kirk’s chest swelled with the promise of victory. “Can you get to him?”

“ _Negative, sir. All entrances have been jammed. We have a plasma cutter standing by to start cutting in on your order._ ” Garrovick had the we-got-him-now-sir tone and Kirk found it contagious.

“Start cutting! I’ll be heading down there in a minute.” His thumb flicked over the channel button on the arm of the chair. “Bridge to engineering!”

“ _Engineering. Scott ‘ere._ ”

“Scotty, we have Khan cornered on Deck 12 in Junction A-1. Is there any way we can disable the relays on that deck to keep him from screwing anything else up?”

“ _Disabling the junctions might cause more problems than solve ‘em, but I can reroute th’ access from those shafts to…_ ” A cough broke through. “... _to a different…_ ” All words were drowned out by hacking, and only a few articulate words came through.

“Scotty?” His optimism was quickly sinking. “Scotty!”

“ _...Jim… the… gas…._ ”

“Scotty!”

No response.

“Captain!” Spock was suddenly at the security station on the other side of the bridge, looming behind the officer who was seated at the post. “The intruder control circuit has been activated and neuro-gas is filling all decks.”

A cold feeling shot through Kirk. Khan wasn’t bluffing. He hit the intercom again. “Mr. Garrovick!”

Silence.

“Lieutenant Garrovick! Dr. McCoy? If anyone can hear me respond immediately!”

“It’s futile,” Spock’s tone was suddenly grave and he stood up from the computer to face the rest of the bridge. “The entire crew, save for the seventeen officers on the bridge, and undoubtedly Khan and Marla McGivers, are all incapacitated by the anesthetic gas. When the air is cleared again, the next logical step for Khan is to revive his crew and overtake the bridge.”

“Then we’ll fight,” Kirk answered with his first instinct.

“Khan singlehandedly defeated a squadron of Klingons. Seventeen of us only have an insubstantial probability of succeeding in combat against even one mildly sedated augment, and _no_ possibility against seventy-two recently revived ones.”

“Are you saying we should surrender?”

“It may be our only option for the sake of prolonging our own lives long enough to either find a way to take back the ship or destroy it along with all fugitives on board.”

“Surrender…” It pained Kirk to his core even say the word. To give up was even less of an option than a kamikaze tactic. It had never done him any good in the past. When he had resorted to it, it was too little too late. “No.” He shook his head defiantly. “I’m not giving in to that bastard that easily. He doesn’t have his crew yet. Besides, you saw the way he nearly fell over. The tryxolene that McCoy gave him is working, it gives us the upper hand! How long until the air is clear of the gas?”

“Minutes, sir,” Chekov answered. “Oxygen levels are returning to normal on all decks.”

That was all Kirk needed to hear.

“All right everyone, listen up…” He waited until all eyes were off the workstations and towards him as he stood in front of his chair. “As far as we know, we’re all that’s left of the hundreds of men and women on this ship. We need to move quickly if we’re going to capture Khan while he’s still under the effects of the sedative. He could recover in an instant because of his regenerative cells. Drugged or not, though, a phaser is probably still useless on stun. We’re going to kill him before he kills us. I’ll need eight volunteers to come with me to take him down. The rest will secure the bridge and continue the repairs. Who’s coming with me?”

“Though such a merciless approach violates both Starfleet and Vulcan principles…” Spock said curtly. “I will gladly accompany you, captain.”

“Me too,” Uhura stood from her console.

“I’ll go, keptin!” Chekov raised his hand as high as it would go.

“I’ll go, sir,” Sulu said with a firm nod.

“Not you, Sulu,” said Kirk. “I need you in the chair to continue trying to reach Starfleet and hold us in orbit until the ship’s functional again.”

Sulu didn’t seem too broken up about it, his eyes lighting up a bit as he glanced to the command chair. “Aye, sir.”

Almost all of the other people on the bridge gladly volunteered. All of them but one. In all this time, Kirk hadn’t failed to notice Carol gradually shrinking into her chair, her hand unconsciously on the leg that had once been crushed to pieces by a single ruthless stomp of Khan’s foot. It was precisely because Kirk had been present to hear her blood curdling screams that day that he did her the favor of ignoring her during the volunteering.

After Kirk chose the rest of his hunting party, they armed themselves with phasers. They divided into two groups to approach the junction from different entrances, and by Kirk’s orders, they took the turbolifts to Deck 12.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Marla had memorized the codes for releasing the neuro-gas perfectly. Khan’s instructions on the matter were clear, and executing them was not difficult. At least in practice it wasn’t. When the time came to put in the fourth and final code to release the neuro-gas, Marla suddenly doubted if he was being truthful. What if it would kill everyone instead of sedating them? What if it was going to blow up the entire ship? It wasn’t likely to be the latter, but the momentary doubt reminded her just how much she _didn’t_ know him. This was also the first time that she questioned his command.

It took an insane amount of rationalizing compressed within seconds before she reached her conclusion. She would have nothing to gain by not doing as she was told, and by obeying she had little left to lose. She released the gas and was relieved to learn that it was just that. No one was killed by it.

She climbed carefully back down the ladder into the junction where she had left Khan melted on the floor. He moved while she was gone, but not by much. He was closer to the computer and facing the entryway in which they initially entered.

“What’s wrong?” she looked from the computer, to him, to the door.

“A minute longer and they would have cut through,” he said wearily. “You’ve done exceptionally well....”

The way that his eyes lifted to her from his seat on the floor, they were impossibly green and bewilderingly endearing thanks to the drugs in his system. For just a second or two, he looked like a careless child and it made her smile. At last, she felt that they could breathe, if only for a little while. And breathe she did, a deep inhale taken as she settled herself on the floor beside him, her legs tucked under her.

“Now what?” she asked softly. “You didn’t sedate the bridge crew. They’re sure to come for us.”

“Of course they will…” he murmured with annoyance. “But they will be a manageable number… We need them to fly the ship until I can safely revive my crew to replace them…”

“And then?”

“According to the computer we’re currently in orbit around a class M planet…” Though he was speaking coherently enough, he was clearly fighting to keep his eyes open as they occasionally rolled and closed. “I will leave Kirk and his crew there… and we will have a ship and the freedom to fly her…”

“You’re barely conscious and you still plan that far ahead,” she mused aloud. “You’re the most ambitious man I’ve ever known, Khan… But how do you expect to do any of that?”

“I expect to do it… efficiently…” His words were heavy, and his head lulled back and hit the metal wall with a _clang_.

“For God’s sake…” she whispered sharply and took his shoulders to prop him upright before he flopped over onto the floor. Not that it would do much damage to him, but she didn’t want to know what it sounded like when a skull hit the floor that hard. “Khan, this is ridiculous. Even for you. The drug isn’t wearing off as quickly as you said it would. In fact, it seems to be working better now.”

“I… am… impervious…” he hissed arrogantly.

Had circumstances been different she might have laughed.

“Khan.” She took his face in both her hands, forcing his unfocused gaze onto her. “Khan, listen. I’m going to the med bay and I’m getting something to help you.”

The furrow of his brows told her that he heard everything she said. His head tilted, cradling his cheek into the cup of her hand so that his lips just barely brushed the heel of her palm. 

“Stay…”

“I _can’t_ ,” her voice caught to feel his breath on her—and to feel wanted by him. “We can’t accomplish anything with you like this, and I can’t go any further alone. I’ll be quick. The turbolifts should be working and I’ll be back in no time. Okay?”

He pulled his face from her hands and blinked hard. She could see him forcing his usual cold resolve to the front. He then placed the phaser into her lap. “Go quickly, then.” He spoke hoarsely and reluctantly sank back against the wall again. “If they come here…and if I manage to escape, I will find you…”

_If I manage to escape._

When did he ever refer to himself with ‘if’? She gripped his pale hand where it rested beside him on the floor and without another word, she made for the nearest exiting tube from the junction. Once again, she found herself in an awkward crawl through the narrow space of a maintenance shaft, but when she finally emerged into one of the brightly lit main corridors again, she felt like she had spent the last year in a cave. But her liberating escape from the dim veins of the ship was hampered by the sight of bodies in various colored Starfleet uniforms strewn all over the sleek floor of the ship.

They were only sleeping, but knowing as much didn’t ease the eeriness of the silence and the sudden weight of guilt on her shoulders. So, it was with looks and murmurs of apology that Marla moved through the ship, occasionally stopping to turn a man or a woman into a more comfortable position than the one they fell in so that they would have a little less pain when awakening.

She took the turbolift with an unconscious Orion tactical officer to the med bay, which was more of the same, except for the inclusion of white uniforms. Draped over the desk was Dr. McCoy. Once again the poor man was going to wake up with a headache because of her and Khan.

Tip toeing through the sea of sleeping figures, she carefully began to pilfer the hypospray cartridges. She didn’t know what she was doing. So she began to fill a med kit with what might be most useful, to the best of her limited medical knowledge. Her best bet was a number of stimulants, since Khan was certainly in no state to inform her on the matter.

The amount of conflicting decisions she found herself faced with caused her to linger in the quiet med bay longer than she felt safe with. She couldn’t leave Khan alone much longer, for her own sake as well as his. With the med kit under her arm, and her phaser held loosely in her hand, she carefully made her way around the fallen bodies and into the main corridor to return to the turbo lift.

She stood impatiently at the glass doors as she waited for the lift. The longer she waited, the more it dawned on her that the only reason she would have to wait for it is if it was called to another deck. The doors hissed open and she was staring at the stoic face of a high ranking Vulcan in a blue uniform. There were others with him.

With a gasp, and not a second thought, she fired her phaser into the turbolift. There was a shout, and a flash of sparks igniting from the lift’s wall where her shot landed. She ran from the turbolift as fast as her legs could carry her, the med kit clutched tightly to her chest. She pivoted to take cover in the med bay, but something white hot yet freezing all at once pounded into her back, and the last thing she saw was the floor before everything slipped away.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Kirk led his half of the hunting party to where he last knew the Chief of Security, Lieutenant Garrovick, to be cutting through the door that barricaded Khan. Like breadcrumbs, all Kirk had to do was follow the trail of sedated red shirts down the corridor and into the maintenance shafts. Young Garrovick was indeed there at the end of it, face down and in a pile with two other red shirts. Chekov, who joined Kirk’s party, helped to move the sleeping bodies gently out of the way so that they could more easily get to the door.

They moved quietly. If Khan was on the other side of the door then Kirk had every hope of having the element of surprise. Or else they would probably be dead by the time they got to the other side. Another officer took up the plasma cutter and Kirk watched with his phaser held at the ready.

It took ten minutes (which felt like a lifetime) before they cut through. Two of them, one of which was an eager Kirk, lent their shoulders to knock the door off. It landed with a resounding bang that echoed off the confining walls of the junction. All four of the men in the hunting party barreled in, aimed their phasers… and saw no one. Khan and his partner must have slipped away when the cutting recommenced.

Since they were in one of the main tube junctions, there were four different crawlways he could have escaped through, and four of them in the search party. Without the convenience of bioscanners, however, he was going to be harder to track.

“Damn it…” Kirk growled under his breath. “Mr. Chekov, can you use the computer to see which shafts have recently been accessed?”

Chekov pinned his phaser under his arm and scurried to the computer. After a moment of mad button tapping, he sighed and shook his head. “All four of ze adjacent tubes have been accessed and locked down simultaneously, keptin. Assuming zat Khan is in one right now, ve would have to vait and see which one opens on ze other end to know which one he vent through.”

“I can’t believe how counterproductive the computers are with these stupid maintenance shafts…” Kirk was mostly groaning to himself. “There are only four of us and he’s making a run for it, which tells me he’s not up for a fight. We’ll split up.” So much for strength in numbers. “Chekov, you take the number one, Mr. Leslie number two, Donalson number three. I’ll take number four. Let’s move!”

The men didn’t so much as flinch as they followed the orders, and neither did Kirk wait before charging forward into the Number 4 tube. It was extremely awkward to navigate through a crawlway whilst keeping a phaser at the ready, but it was better to be awkward than end up dead. Panels and lights beeped around him, the raw nerves of the ship all round and as easy to pull as a string on a marionette. A really, really big and complicated marionette. It wasn’t until now that Kirk had an appreciation for how much of the ship’s sensitive functions were within Khan’s reach all this time and how easy it would be to kill them all with a few button strokes.

Eventually, the captain came out on the other side, emerging into one of the main corridors where the crew slept peacefully all over the floors and chairs. The tunnel hadn’t taken him beyond Deck 12, and now that he was alone, he found his situation suddenly eerie. It was practically silent, the occasional automated beeps and whistles of consoles especially loud in the absence of the engines’ thrumming. That was enough to spook him without the addition of the obstacle course of sedated bodies that he once called his crew.

As he rounded the bend of the curved corridor, he froze at the sight of a darkly clad figure a few feet ahead of him, his back towards Kirk and standing out against the brightness of the ship’s interior like a disembodied shadow. He leaned a shoulder on the wall, his hands in sight and neither of them armed. He didn’t need to turn for the captain to know exactly who he was; he could recognize that slender silhouette anywhere. Kirk made sure his phaser was set to kill and aimed.

His target looked ready to collapse and was none the wiser to Kirk’s presence. It would be so easy to just kill him now. But his finger faltered over the trigger.

“Khan!”

The moment he caught sight of those green eyes, he fired. Khan shouted from the hit to his shoulder, his body thrown into a spin before he hit the ground hard. What would have instantly killed anyone left him writhing amongst the sedated crewmembers on the floor. What Kirk realized a little too late was that he had issued Security Protocol 13—which required every crewmember to be armed. And now Khan was grabbing a phaser.

“Shit!” Kirk barely got the word out before he dove to the side, a phaser blast flying past his ear and leaving it burning.

Kirk fired back without bothering to aim properly. All he needed to gain was a second or two for another evasive roll. He couldn’t keep his eyes on Khan, but he could feel the impact of the blasts meeting metal at his heels or beside his head. He fired back rapidly, willing any one of the shots to hit their mark.

One of them hit.

There was another pained cry from Khan, and when Kirk dared to stop long enough to look, he saw that the augment was down. The captain charged to where Khan was face down, vainly attempting to push himself off the floor. Kirk helped him with a hard kick.

When Khan was on his back, Kirk could now see where the two shots had landed. One had grazed Khan’s shoulder, leaving burnt flesh exposed. The other one, the one that finally dropped him, was on his lower abdomen, just at the hip and had struck directly and deeply. But clearly not deep enough to be immediately fatal.

Kirk looked down at him along the side of his phaser. “If there’s any reason why I shouldn’t kill you now—” His half-hearted attempt at mercy was cut short by a swipe to his legs, his feet thrown clean into the air.

He landed hard on his side, which not only knocked the air from his lungs, but the phaser from his hand. His first instinct was not to reach for a weapon, but to start swinging his fists. Even when his body was pinned down by a black-clad knee to his sternum.

Kirk swung madly, his knuckles cracking against what felt like iron cheekbones in three successive hits before one punch from Khan knocked him senseless. There was another hard blow to Kirk’s face that was so sharp it was only numbness, the pain rising afterward. Suddenly, everything stopped at the sound of a communicator chirp and Spock’s voice.

“ _Captain, we have found Marla McGivers and are en route to the brig._ ”

Khan stopped his assault with a bloodied fist hanging in the air. His eyes were wide as he listened, the feral look of battle suddenly fading. Kirk took the advantage. In spite of his throbbing skull, he grabbed hold of the knee in his chest and pushed it with every ounce of strength he had. It was only because Khan was more unbalanced than he was weakened by the sedative that he was thrown off.          Using all of his weight, Kirk sprang up from the ground and pounded his shoulder into Khan’s lithe torso, tackling him flat to the floor once again. Sitting on Khan, he forgot his own orders of taking no chances by shooting to kill. His rage took over and he let his fists fly. One hit after another, and though they left no mark on Khan, the constant strikes prevented him from fighting back.

It wasn’t long before Kirk’s strength began to fail him and his punches became weaker and farther in between, his chest heaving furiously. The next thing he knew, he was lurched to the side and his back slammed to the floor, a solid weight straddling on top of him.

Khan had managed to turn the tables in an instant, and it took only one more hit to Kirk’s already bruised face to render him practically unconscious. He couldn’t get his body to move, but he was aware enough to feel the weight lift from on top of him as Khan got to his feet.

Then the feeling of a fist gripping into the gold fabric of his tunic and lifting. Then his body becoming airborne as it was hurled down the corridor and crashing into a wall.

“ _Captain…”_ Spock’s voice came through the communicator just as everything began to blur and fade out. “ _Captain, if your communicator is on, please respond….”_

 


	16. Chapter 16

_We have found Marla McGivers and are en route to the brig._

The Vulcan’s words repeated through Khan’s groggy mind over and over. It meant that Marla was captured. It meant that Khan had miscalculated in his plans, and though he could easily blame the sedative that hampered his systems, he was a fool for agreeing to let her go alone.

For all the mistrust that he had claimed to have towards her, it was no longer relevant whether or not she _might_ have been serving Starfleet or Section 31. Thus far she had done everything for his sake, even though she rejected his affection.

He staggered through the ghostly halls of the _Enterprise_ , clutching hard at the searing hole in his lower torso that burned and bled. More than once his legs gave out under him as his body struggled between spending energy in regenerating and energy to simply keep one foot moving in front of the other. The curved corridors seemed to stretch on for eternity. If he could only get to the turbolift, he could find the med bay.

It was humiliating to have been beaten so badly by James T. Kirk.

It was, perhaps, even more humiliating than when he was captured by Mr. Spock, who had only spared his life for a purely logical purpose—Khan had blood that could be utilized. But Kirk? He had every opportunity to kill Khan moments ago and didn’t. For a rebellious officer who only followed rules when it suited him, Kirk had an extraordinary sense of honor. It was the respect of one warrior to another that Khan left him alive, but Kirk was walking a fine line. Khan might not let him walk away a second time.

The medical bay was littered with bodies in white uniforms, and more notably, the blue uniform of the chief medical officer, Dr. McCoy. Khan had every inclination to give the unconscious doctor a hearty kick in the ribs as recompense for the sedative. But it was a clever tactic and Khan was now the one still conscious. He would let the doctor sleep in peace while he had the chance and instead Khan confiscated his communicator.

The pain that emanated from the phaser wounds made his body shake, his head throbbing unbearably as he found his way through the medical supplies, gathering up a hypo and various cartridges to load it with. Had it not been for the sedative, his body would have bounced back with hardly a hitch in his step. After all, he was perhaps the only human (albeit genetically engineered) who could boast of literally walking away from a crashed starship. It was only when something slowed or interrupted the perfect rhythm of his body’s functions that he could be brought down. Such was the case when the communications officer, Uhura, pelted him repeatedly with a phaser on stun, and now when Dr. McCoy gave him a dosage of anesthetic to tranquilize a planet.

With trembling fingers, he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. The first injection that hissed into his arm was something to kill the pain. It took two shots before he felt it working, and the numbing of the nerves allowed him more freedom of movement. Next, he injected himself a tripled shot of adrenaline. The stimulant charged through his system like a bolt of electricity, reigniting his sleepy blood and shocking his mind into fantastic clarity. The muscles that had felt softened for so long now hardened in response to the quickening of his pulse.

He felt _alive_ again.

Even he needed to give the drugs some time to work as they coursed through his body and he endeavored to force himself to sit quietly on the bio bed in the process. But his gaze happened upon the computer screen of Dr. McCoy’s desk. It displayed vital readings beside correlated instrument statuses that numbered to 73, one of which flashed red with the words: _Cryostasis Deactivated._

The rest of the cryo-tubes were maintaining, the heartbeats of every single one of his people still thrumming on at four beats per minute. They were all still alive and well. The gears of his newly reinvigorated mind were beginning to turn. He now had the whole arsenal of the medical bay at his disposal and nothing but a sleeping Starfleet crew between him and his family.

Khan could feel his strength returning to its fullest. He had to believe that regulations concerning prisoners would be enough to keep Marla safe until he could get to her. A legion would be coming to save her, and Khan would lead it.

It was time to test the mettle of Kirk and the remainder of his steadfast crew.

* * *

 

 

“Captain…”

The voice was distant.

“Captain!”

A hard shake jolted Kirk awake. He was staring at the floor, someone’s blood was smeared on it and maybe a little drool. There was a ringing in his head, which felt heavy with fog when he pushed himself up, and it was then that he realized the lovely bloody puddle was from his own bruised mouth.

“Captain, are you all right?”

A hand was on his shoulder, and all he needed to see was the number of stripes on the blue sleeve to know it was his first officer. With a wheeze, Kirk dropped a hand onto the Vulcan’s narrow shoulder to push himself up off the floor. Spock assisted him onto his feet with a firm hand around the captain’s bicep. He had a phaser ready in his other hand.

“You found Khan,” Spock stated the obvious without betraying any feelings about it.

But Kirk was sure there was a hint of sarcasm in there, and he could only reply with a grunt.

“You were not responding to your communicator,” Spock continued. “Lieutenant Uhura and the other men have been left to secure the brig while I ascertained your location.”

“I can take care of myself, Spock…” Kirk bit out the words, his body feeling as if it had been stampeded by elephants. “Where’s Khan?”

“Unknown.”

“The others?”

“Lieutenant Leslie is unable to find his way out of the maintenance tunnels and Lieutenant Donalson has only moments ago emerged on Deck 11 without results.”

“What about Chekov? Is he okay?”

“Here, keptin!” The young man’s voice peeped up from behind Spock.

“The ensign and I crossed paths as I searched for you,” Spock clarified. His hand quickly snatched onto Kirk’s arm again when the captain wobbled sideways. “Did Khan ambush you?”

“No… why..?”

“You did not call for reinforcements…” Spock said simply. “You fought him alone?”

“He’s still heavily drugged, the odds were even…”

“Clearly not, as you were found unconscious and bleeding and it can only be assumed that Khan had walked away on his own accord…” Spock’s voice had become terse by now. “It is fortunate that he did not kill you.”

“Yeah, well… Felt good to finally have a bout with him.”

"Captain, perhaps you should seek some medical attention.”

“Forget it, I’m fine.” Kirk cleared his throat and puffed out his chest to prove it. “Besides, I think Khan’s worse off than I am. I hit him twice with a phaser on kill. Are the bioscanners working yet, so we can track him?”

“Not yet,” said Spock. “The residual effects of the sabotaged computers is still interfering with the sensor arrays. Dr. Marcus is working on it now.”

Kirk took a moment to run a hand along his jaw, just to make sure it wasn’t knocked out of place by Khan. His face felt puffy in all the wrong places, but everything still seemed to be in the proper order.

“I think it’s time we had a talk with Marla McGivers…” he said between his teeth.

To the best of his ability, he led the way onwards to the brig without a limp in his step. Khan could have dragged himself in any direction on ship, and to follow him would be a death wish (as if Kirk taking him on solo wasn’t). Marla’s capture may be the only card they have to play.

 


	17. Chapter 17

“ _Mr. Sulu, progress report on the sensor repairs.”_

_“Sensor arrays still being recalibrated, captain. I think we’ll have them working within the hour, but it’s difficult without our senior engineers to fix it…”_

_"You have twenty minutes to get them working. Spock and I will be in the brig.”_

_"Aye, sir.”_

_“Leslie, Donalson, report to the brig immediately.”_

_“Donalson here. On my way, sir!”_

_“Lieutenant Leslie, sir. I... I don’t actually know where I am.”_

_"Just get your ass to the brig, mister! Kirk out!”_

_“Mr. Leslie, this is Spock. Follow the serial numbers of the tunnels in ascending order...”_

Khan listened to the chatter through the communicator he had taken from Dr. McCoy. Kirk and his crew were on their way to the brig. They now had a prisoner to interrogate and it made his skin crawl to leave her in their hands. But without their bioscanners, they could not track his movements. They were making the grave error of giving him time.

He wouldn’t use the turbolifts, they were far too easy to track, especially on a ghost ship. And with his restored strength and speed, he had little trouble going on foot through the ship. The phaser wounds in his body still ached and burned, but they were rapidly healing. It was a quick sprint through the _Enterprise_ , and in less than a quarter of an hour, he eventually found himself at the doors to the cargo bay. They were wide open and the only barricade in front of him was a pile of sleeping security officers. Kirk must have assigned over twenty red-shirted crewmen to guard the precious cargo and now they were as useful as bags of sand. Khan stepped right over them.

He deliberately left the doors to the cargo bay open. The computers could always detect the opening and closing of doors and Khan did not wish to draw any eyes in his direction. It was enough that he disabled the monitoring of the cryo-tubes from med bay. The less tampering he did, the more invisible he would be.

The rows of cryo-tubes stretched on and on, the dark lighting of the deck leaving them cold and lifeless. It made his heart heavy to realize just how accustomed he was to see them like this—objects to be moved. People he had fought wars with, who exploded with life and power, reduced to being only a few heartbeats away from cadavers.

It might have been a blessing that they were so completely unaware of what they had become. When the _Botany Bay_ launched, they hoped to awaken as free men and women. Khan wished that he could provide that much for them, but he had come as far as he could on his own and now finally had the opportunity to revive them.

He went swiftly between the rows of tubes, passing by his own as it still lay open and vacant. Moving briskly through row after row of peaceful, sleeping faces he finally found the one he was searching for. Through the wars and eventual exile, he had one man above all who followed closely at his side: Joaquin. It was widely accepted that he was second only to Khan himself.

Khan removed the pouch of hypos from his belt, as well as the medical tricorder. Once the tools were at hand, he began to punch in the first code from memory. The top of the tube was effortlessly lifted, releasing the cloud of ice from inside the container. He followed through with the requisite administrations of drugs: the antifreeze and the stimulants to kick start the organ systems. As the drugs began to take effect, Khan’s gaze danced from the readings on the medical tricorder to the body in front of him.

Vitals were stabilizing.

Heart beat almost normal.

Blood pressure rising.

Then Joaquin’s eyes flashed open, his jaw going slack to take his first painful breath in nearly 300 years. Khan sympathized with the confusion in his hazy eyes and firmly pressed a hand to his shoulder, to ground him in his disorientation.

“Joaquin,” he spoke to offer the familiarity of his voice in an unfamiliar place.

Joaquin heard it and honed in his focus on Khan, the clearness of thought beginning to crystallize. “Are we there…?” his voice was weak.

“No, my friend…” Khan replied quietly. “Not yet.”

The confusion threatened to return to Joaquin, but as Khan helped him to sit up in the cryo-tube, it was washed away by absolute trust. This was a man who had followed him to the ends of the earth and ultimately into the infinity of space. Though Khan had always been the commander, it was their combined powers that brought a chaotic world under the yoke. Khan already felt stronger with his most loyal friend in front of him. This was a man Khan had never doubted.

Joaquin was recovering quickly, flexing his tanned hands and neck. Khan gave him one last squeeze to the shoulder.

“After I wake some of the others I’ll explain everything. For now, understand that we are prisoners on an enemy ship. We are not safe.”

Joaquin heard, understood. Without question, he was climbing from the tube. His movements were stiff and a bit uncoordinated, but it would not be long before he was as strong as Khan and ready to follow him into battle.

Khan moved to the next cryo-tube and began the sequence.

 


	18. Chapter 18

At first it felt as though she was completely submerged under water. There was a painful pressure in her skull, all of the nerves in her body tingling, and all sounds somewhat muffled and distorted. But her senses gradually began to clear as consciousness returned. She was vaguely aware that she was lying on her side on a hard surface, the pattern of sound nearby reminiscent of human speech. Her eyes ached and she didn’t open them as she merely listened. Little by little, words could be discerned.

“…could we please stay on topic here, Uhura?”

“I’d love to, captain, but I can’t seem to figure out where it could possibly be a good idea to take on Khan _by yourself_.”

“But it’s perfectly heroic when Spock does it?”

“He’s a Vulcan.”

“Well, I had a visual on Khan and a tactical advantage, so I took it.”

“That’s the stupidest rationalization I’ve ever heard! You never change. All you want is some macho display where the odds are _obviously_ against you!”

“Can you not crucify me in the middle of a crisis? We got bigger fish to fry here.”

“You’re more ham than fish…”

“I agree with the captain, Nyota. While there do exist exceptional circumstances where emotional outbursts in the form of a reprimand are necessary, now is not the time to discuss which type of meat functions as a better analogy for actions that were based purely on ego and possible inferiority complex—”

“What the hell, Spock?!”

“—Captain, the prisoner is awake…”

As soon as Marla realized she was found out, she quickly gave up the charade and sat up. Now that her eyes were open she took a quick glance at her surroundings. She wasn’t surprised to find herself in the cold interior of the ship’s brig, the white walls and bench seat harsh on her body and sensitive eyes. Through the glared glass, she saw the voices who had been conversing. Closest to her was the bridge communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura (who looked rather livid), Mr. Spock, and of course Captain Kirk. What startled her was the state of the ship’s proud captain.

His gold tunic was a rumpled mess, a little torn even, his popularly chiseled face looking a little worse for wear with the broken skin on his cheekbone and lips, his face and uniform speckled with blood. But she could also see the cuts to his knuckles that could only be gotten from fighting back. Khan really did kick his ass. But fear bit at her inside, and without standing from her seat on the cell’s bench, she met Kirk’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Where’s Khan?” she asked.

Kirk moved past his officers, a dauntless swagger carrying him nearer to the glass to peer in at her. “So what should we call you, Marla McGivers or Madlyn Rhue?”

He ignored her question. It unnerved her, but she had to reason that it meant Khan was still alive and still free. Regardless of a headache, she held a stoic countenance.

“Marla.”

“We know you were arrested by Admiral Marcus and that you forged your way onto this ship to help Khan. I’ve heard some theories and might even have one or two of my own, but I want to hear it from you.” His demeanor was callous, his blue eyes taking on a threatening gleam that completely contrasted the charm he was using when she first met him at launch. “Why are you helping him?”

“Would it really make any difference if I told you?” She didn’t hold out any hope considering the look of utter hate in his eye. “I willingly helped wake him up and helped him sabotage your ship. I’m even the one who activated the neuro-gas. Could any explanation possibly change the fact that I’ve committed treason?”

“I think you’ll find me at my most disagreeable when I don’t understand _why_ my crew is attacked and my command threatened,” he quipped.

And yet, she wasn’t completely intimidated. “I’ve heard a lot about you, captain… I’ve been told that you are at your best when things are at their worst. You thrive in chaos…” Khan’s analysis of the captain, as it rolled off her tongue, made Kirk’s eyes flicker defensively. But she wasn’t aiming to provoke, so she kept her voice level, her eyes pleading. “I heard a rumor about the first time you took command of the _Enterprise_ to engage with the Romulan Nero… Is it true that when Nero’s ship was collapsing into a black hole, you offered to save him?”

“Lucky for us, he was too proud to take it,” Kirk said without a beat.

The confirmation filled her with hope and she eased herself to her feet, the effects of the stun gradually easing on her body. “Then why can’t you do the same for Khan?”

“You know who he is. You’ve seen what he’s done, haven’t you?”

Kirk was looking at her as if she was delusional. It only made her more intent to move closer to the glass that separated them, to let him see just how sane she was.

“I’m not going to pretend he’s innocent or deny any of the terrible things he’s done, captain. When they had me locked away for treason in some far off detainment center, they made sure I saw everything that Khan did. They were convinced I could tell them where he was and wouldn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know.”

Her voice trembled a bit with each admission, but she forced herself to get it out. To lay the cards on the table for a captain who had the potential to be an ally. At least, she dared hope so.

“They showed me what he did at the Kelvin Archives, to Starfleet Headquarters… But it wasn’t until he attacked San Francisco and was finally captured that they allowed me a court martial. They didn’t have enough to keep me, but I was sentenced with punitive discharge. They stripped me of all rank and credibility. And Khan… I admit it, at one time I revered him for his historical importance. And you must have felt how magnetic he is. But after months in detainment, after all the pain he’s caused… I have every reason to hate him, too.”

Kirk did what she prayed he would do—he listened. He gave her his full and undivided attention, even if his brow was furrowed. And when she paused, he eyed her with a hint of curiosity beneath the doubt.

“Yet you’re asking me to give him a second chance? Destroying a city rather than an entire planet does not make him _better_ than Nero.”

“He is so much _more_ than Nero!” she was becoming desperate in her search for a look of understanding in Kirk’s eyes. “You can talk to him, reason with him. There’s a part of him—of all the augments from the Eugenics Wars—who can build and create. He can accomplish so much if he wasn’t being forced to fight for his life or the lives of his family. I knew him from when he was first revived in our time. From the start he’s been cornered, coerced, threatened, exploited, attacked, and hated. When there were days of calm, I actually saw him relaxed. I know the human side of him that’s almost been completely extinguished by the Federation. No matter what Khan himself wants you to think, he isn’t just a heartless ex-tyrant bent on destroying everyone who gets in his way. He has a philosopher’s intellect and a poet’s soul. He taught me Aristotle and Shakespeare, Kant and Milton. Things you can’t find in any military handbook. You asked me why I would help him…” her voice was growing hoarse from her passionate defense, her throat tight with the urge to scream. “…it’s not because I fell in love with that side of him. It’s because he is the embodiment of all the greatness of the human race put into one. He’s the best and worst of all of us. The tragedy is that no human can be genetically engineered to cope with that kind of potential.”

She had finally let herself go and spoke her mind in such a way that she didn’t dare to Khan. She could never let him see what she thought was a weakness. To admit all of those things and reveal the depth in which she truly felt them made her feel foolish, but she could feel the pressure lifting just a little.

She was done with the games, the ship-wide chess match that Kirk and Khan were playing. She half expected to be ridiculed for such a demonstration, especially by the Vulcan. But a brief silence followed and she saw Kirk exchange glances with Mr. Spock. Was he actually weighing everything she said? She watched his every movement intently and met his eyes when they returned to her.

“What…” he began quietly, almost falteringly. “What is it that you expect me to do then?”

“Stop fighting him,” she tried to put it into the simplest terms. “If you keep hunting him, he’ll kill you all eventually. His plan is to maroon you and your crew on the planet, alive, so that he can take the ship. If you surrender the _Enterprise_ , no one else will die…”

She realized too late that such a suggestion was a mistake. Kirk’s battered face hardened again, his nostrils flaring as his pride reared its head. She didn’t like the sardonic smirk that appeared, either.

“So that’s your peaceable solution to all this?” he folded his arms. “Hand over a starship-sized weapon to a ruthless, power hungry ex-despot with chronic revenge syndrome.”

“N-no,” her voice failed her. She blew her chances of solving this. “My solution is to separate Khan from the Federation forever. To give him and his people the chance that they were denied. To spare the Federation from any more loss. If they had a capable ship, they could go beyond Federation space and find their own world!”

“Until they start warring amongst themselves,” Mr. Spock finally interjected.

“Then what would it matter to the Federation? Captain Kirk… Please. If you’re marooned on the class M planet, it would only be a matter of time before Starfleet Command sends a rescue. Then I’ll gladly let you hand me over to the authorities. Just… let him go. Please!” She hated herself for begging.

Kirk only blinked coldly at her. “Go climb a tree.”

The captain was beginning to show himself as the juvenile that he was rumored to be. It made her desperation simmer into anger.

“Captain, do you even realize how lucky to be alive you are at this point? There isn’t much keeping him from killing you all.” She didn’t dare say that it was her.

“Something tells me the same applies to you,” he answered coolly, his eyes dipping to her throat.

The bruises. They must have looked quite colorful and the whiteness of her cell and could only paint the worst image of Khan’s treatment of her.

“You don’t understand—”

The sound of loud footfalls came suddenly into the brig, a pair of knee-high boots carrying the familiar face of Carl Marcus into sight. Marla couldn’t believe her eyes. She had no idea that her old friend was even on the ship. But the cold regard that the blonde offered her at a glance made her heart sink and she swallowed down whatever greeting might have surfaced. Carol went directly to Kirk, breathless and ignoring the inside of the cell.

“Carol?” Kirk almost seemed as surprised as Marla to see her.

“The bioscanners are working, captain,” Carol said quietly, even though Marla could still hear every word. “We picked up life signatures of an extraordinary level in the cargo bay area. Khan’s already begun to revive his crew. He has a communicator, so it was too dangerous to call you on the open channel. We accessed the live security feed of the cargo area…”

With a wave of her hand, she gestured for the captain to follow her to one of the security workstations that lay in the center of the brig. They bent over a computer, which had a screen facing away from Marla. All she could see was its light on the faces that surrounded it, which included Spock, Uhura, and the young ensign named Chekov. Carol tapped away at the buttons and stepped back as they all silently observed.

The only face that Marla cared to watch was Kirk’s. He was the commander, and the look of battle that creased his face made her feel slightly sick. Captain Kirk wasn’t going to give up the fight, and she didn’t expect Khan’s mercy to be stretched much further before it broke.

“Are we seeing them all in this one angle?” Kirk asked Carol.

“There are fifteen of them, so far, including Khan…”

“Khan’s rallying them,” Kirk said gravely. “Can you enhance the audio?”

“I can try…” Carol stooped over the console again.

Marla practically pressed herself to the glass of the cell when she heard the sound of Khan’s voice emanating ominously from the speakers of the computer and the first words that she could make out were unsettling.

“ _…and we are all of us aware of how they betrayed us out of fear and drove us into exile. It’s been two hundred and sixty four years since we first went into cryogenic freeze, and though technology has advanced beyond even our own expectations, you will discover as quickly as I have how little man himself has changed. The race that we sought to improve in the wars preferred its inferiority and condemned us for it. But now in the Federation that their descendants built on_ our _new world order, we are still far superior. And they are still expendable._ ”

 


	19. Chapter 19

“…But now in the Federation that their descendants built on _our_ new world order, we are still far superior. And they are still expendable.”

His best people surrounded him, some reclined on the cryo-tubes while they recovered, others working the stiffened muscles of their athletic bodies, but all of them giving him their unbroken attention and due respect. Unlike Khan, they were still clad in the clothes of the 20th century, the very sight of them taking him back to those battle-scarred days and empowering his weary soul. He could see it in their eyes how he must have changed, and how odd he must have looked in the generic black uniform of an enemy that was unknown to them; to say nothing of the dressings of his remnant injuries from Kirk.

But to see their familiar faces again, their eyes alight with the vigor he remembered so well, filled him with joy and he could not help the smile that appeared. He walked among them, greeting each and every one by name and exchanging fond grips of hands and shoulders. Those who were exceptional to him, however, were somewhat taken aback when Khan pulled them in for a tight, but brief hug.

The last to be released from the embrace was a rather sultry woman who was as formidable a warrior as she was beautiful. Her name was Kati, and she looked curiously to him.

“Khan,” she took his arm to prevent him from moving away. “How long have you been awake before us?”

She sounded concerned by his atypical affection and he knew why.

“I must remember that what has only been a short sleep for you has been over a year of struggle for me,” he murmured. “We were in cryogenic freeze on the _Botany Bay_ for two hundred and sixty-two years, drifting with no heading and at the mercy of space. Somewhere during our limbo, we lost twelve of our people to faulty circuits. Two years ago, we were found and I was the only one awoken. Since then, on more than one occasion, I was certain every one of you were killed by our enemies.”

“And who _are_ our enemies?” asked Joaquin.

“The ones who had written the history books and declared themselves the righteous winners,” Khan seethed with a sarcastic smile that dropped into bitterness. “Caesar and Hitler are commended for more accomplishments than we are for the restoration that we had brought the entire globe. We are widely forgotten. Our great empires have fallen into obscurity and now they would own us as guinea pigs, our genetic codes reduced to scientific curiosities—forbidden fruit in the realm of naïve ethics and codes of conduct. They lack all bestial strength and cower behind dogmatic ideologies. They are the United Federation of Planets with Earth at its heart and Starfleet as its military service that preaches of peace and exploration to justify its warmongering and bureaucratic conquering of alien civilizations. They were the ones who found us and have yet to let us go.”

Joaquin stepped forward. “Tell us who to fight, and we will fight them, Excellency.”

_Excellency._

Khan had not been called that since before the exile and to hear it again sent an electrified shiver down his spine. He himself had almost forgotten who he once was. It made his chest swell and his chin to lift a little higher.

“Victory requires only we few and the constraint of time prevents the risk of reviving the others just yet. I will assign you all to a duty on this ship and your training will come through the technical manuals of the ship’s computer. Within an hour’s time, two at most, I expect you will have mastered your roles sufficiently enough that our enemies’ usefulness will be spent. We will jettison the captain and his crew together. It would, after all, be rude to scatter the crew when their command could more easily retrieve their corpses in one block of ice.”

 

* * *

 

 

Kirk heard more than enough to know that they were, without a doubt, in trouble. It sounded as though Khan had completely nixed any possibility of merciful marooning, if he ever intended it in the first place. And now he was going to train them. Kirk finally stepped back from the huddle that he had fallen into with Spock, Uhura, Carol, and Chekov.

“We gotta get him off the ship,” he said.

“I think you mean all of them,” Carol corrected.

“If you know how to convince them to form a line to the transporter room, be my guest,” the joke fell short with the gravity of the situation. “No, our best chance is to get _Khan_ off the ship. They’ll make more mistakes without his leadership and experience in this time and it’ll give us some kind of chance.”

“How do you suggest separating him from his people?” Spock wasn’t shooting down the plan yet, which meant he saw potential in it.

“The same way anyone has ever gotten him to do anything.”

Spock stared.

“Piss him off, Spock. Play on his gullibility and powder-keg emotions and he’ll make mistakes.”

“The probability of angering him to the point of folly seems unlikely, considering he at last has his crew and therefore the advantage.”

“Wanna bet?” The captain smirked, shifting his blue eyes towards the solitary figure within the brig’s only occupied cell.

There was a quiet look of terror on Marla’s face when all eyes were suddenly on her. The other officers, meanwhile, were completely confused. They weren’t quite on the same page, so Kirk motioned for them to follow him. Altogether, they walked briskly into the corridor adjacent to the brig, where Marla could neither see nor hear them. They formed a semi-circle around their captain.

“True, Khan has his crew,” he began quietly. “But the one thing he doesn’t have yet is Marla. They can sweep through this ship like a damn hurricane, so there’s no reason why he won’t be coming for her eventually. We can’t stop him. But what we _can_ do is use her as bait to draw him where we want him to go. I’m going to beam down to the planet’s surface with Marla. Spock, you’ll disable the transporters so he can’t beam her back up. He’ll have to take a shuttle, and once he’s off the _Enterprise_ you can block their access to the ship’s manuals—or erase them from the ship’s data core completely if you have to—in order to keep them from learning how to run things. That will give you all the upper hand to do what you can. Anything—get in touch with Starfleet Command for help, find a way to gas them, stun them—whatever opportunity presents itself first, you take it.”

“What about you?” Carol looked at him as though he was insane. “You’ll be down there with that madman!”

“I can handle him, I’ll be armed,” he said confidently, for her sake more than his own. “After I beam down, though… They’ll find out pretty quickly how difficult it is to run a starship without manuals. That’ll put you all at risk, but they won’t be able to kill you so long as you’re needed to fly the _Enterprise_. Under no circumstances are any of you to cooperate with them, though. Understood?”

They all nodded and put on brave fronts for him. He knew what he was asking, and it pained him to do so. But he had faith in his crew.

“I see one highly fallible step in this plan, captain, in which the success of the rest of the strategy is completely predicated,” said Spock.

“Of course you do…”

“How can you be so certain that Khan will go after Marla McGivers? It would be illogical on his part.”

“I agree,” said Uhura. “What makes you think he’ll abandon his people to go after her? It’ll be an obvious trap.”

They asked very good questions, but Kirk smiled. “Trust me.”

“And if he actually does fall for it,” Carol added sharply, “then what’s going to stop him from killing you at the first chance?”

He hated these good questions. “I’ll, uh… improvise. Come on. We’ve wasted enough time already. Mr. Chekov, go get some handcuffs.”

The young Russian scurried off. By Kirk’s lead, they returned to the brig and Kirk went directly to the door that led into the cell. Punching in the security code, the door opened. Marla didn’t move.

“Step out of the cell, please,” he ordered coldly.

She hesitated, clearly distrusting this entire scenario.

“Why?” she finally asked slowly.

“Either you can walk out on your own, get stunned, or Vulcan neck pinched. I’m just trying to spare your dignity.”

He could see her swallow hard with debate, but finally she stepped through the opened door and into the wider space of the brig. Her eyes were large with alarm. Chekov appeared with the manacles and Kirk took them. Marla was timidly cooperative and offered up her slender wrists. Once the cuffs were locked in place Kirk gently, but firmly, took her by the arm and led her towards one of the workstations.

“Lieutenant Uhura, patch me through to the cargo bay.”

Uhura complied, and with a quick dance of her fingers over the console, stepped aside as the image of the cargo bay appeared. The angle was from one of the computers where only a portion of the cargo bay could be seen amongst the railings, catwalks, and crates. One or two of the cryo-tubes were visible, but none of the augments themselves. Kirk brought Marla beside him within the range of the camera.

“All right, Khan. Let’s talk.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

With fifteen of his people revived, and roughly twenty unconscious Starfleet personnel decorating the cargo floor, there were plenty of phasers to go around while Khan instructed them on how to use the weapons.  The lesson was short because the weapons were simple. He was in the middle of briefly explaining the firepower of phasers in relation to the 20th century firearms when the loud whistle of an intercom emanated from one of the computer consoles of the cargo bay. The sound immediately interrupted Khan’s briefing of his crew and it was followed by an all too familiar sound of overconfidence.

“ _All right, Khan. Let’s talk._ ”

Khan had to smirk. “They are pathetically late in finding me,” he commented aloud.

He calmly paraded to the computer, his people following behind him in a unified movement, where they stood loyally at his back as he looked to the image on the computer. It certainly was Captain Kirk, but the shackled figure of Marla in his grip made Khan’s smirk fade quickly away.

“You may _talk_ , captain, for all the good it will do you,” he said haughtily. “The ship is already ours by default. No matter what resistance you have to offer, we will win.”

“ _I won’t argue with you there._ ” Kirk was suspiciously calm. “ _So, I’m beaming off the ship and I’m taking Marla with me._ ”

Marla looked the captain with surprise and Khan’s breathing hitched. But he forced a derisive smirk. “To what end? I have your ship.”

“ _Technically you only have the cargo bay. I’ve given my crew direct order to destroy the transporters beyond all repair after I beam down, so either you can come down and get her yourself or you can leave orbit without her. You can have my ship or you can have Marla McGivers. You can’t have both._ ”

A nerve was struck within Khan as Kirk suggested he leave her behind. Again.

Marla suddenly thrashed in the captain’s grip, but she got nowhere. “ _Khan!_ ” she cried out. “ _Don’t let him provoke you! Just take the ship and—_ ”

Kirk swung a fist that threw Marla’s head to the side, knocking her immediately unconscious. Her red hair spilled over her face as she slumped against the captain.

“Marla!” Khan bellowed furiously, his impulses carrying him to run directly for the brig.

But multiple pairs of hands stopped him and Joaquin shouted through the berserk that was beginning to deafen him.

“He wants you to go there! Your Excellency—Khan!”

But Khan’s vision was turning red, even as he looked back to the image of Kirk supporting Marla’s unconscious body.

“Kirk!” He roared at the computer and started towards it, ready to tear it to pieces before he could do the same to the captain.

“ _You’ll find our coordinates in the computer_ ,” Kirk said without batting an eye. “ _Your move, Khan._ ”

The image faded away.

Again, Khan tried to bolt for the brig, but was held firmly in place by his crew.

“Khan, stop!” Kati shouted at him this time.

“Who was that woman?” asked Joaquin. “Why is she so important?”

Khan’s chest was heaving with fury, his breath hissing though bared teeth. “She has been my only ally. Without her we would not be here… I cannot leave her!”

He moved again, and again was restrained. This time, Joaquin was in front of him, pushing Khan back by the chest.

“You must stop and think, sir!”

Khan answered by throwing his friend to the floor before his people seized his arms once more. “Do not dare to stop me!”

“We are stopping you out of loyalty!” said Rodriguez. “Not impertinence!”

“We’ve seen you like this before,” said Kati. “When ‘hell hath no fury’ and you begin threatening everyone with literary quotes! This Captain Kirk obviously knows you well enough to provoke you. Leave her, she’s just an inferior woman!”

Khan relaxed in his struggle, a slow, calming breath taken in through his nose as he forced some clarity of thought through the madness that threatened to take hold.

 _Just an inferior woman._ Marla was anything but.

“I am resolved,” he said coldly, though his voice trembled with contained fury as he cast his sharp eyes to his people. “I will not give Kirk the satisfaction of taking her away from me. You will stay here to wake the others and secure the bridge, engineering, and the hangar deck until I return. Commit to learning the manuals I have shown you. Do not kill the bridge crew, but do what you will with the sleeping ones should they need to be persuaded into cooperation. Once I have Marla, you will open the hangar doors for my return.”

They acknowledged his orders with silent nods. But Joaquin, who had picked himself up off the floor indignantly, glared at Khan.

“This is a mistake, sir. You should let the inferior woman go.”

To this, Khan replied beneath his breath for only Joaquin to hear. “One day I will tell you everything, Joaquin. But I will not leave her behind a second time. I leave you in charge, my friend…. Otto, Rodriguez!”

The two men stepped forward like well-trained Dobermans.

“You will accompany me. I’ll not take the _good captain’s_ word that the transporters are offline.”

Their phasers were set to kill and ready to fire on their leader’s command. Khan was finished with the ethical tip-toeing. He forced compassion long enough for Marla’s sake— _her_ sake alone—and all it gained was her capture. The honor of the battlefield, such as it was, dissolved the moment that Kirk unnecessarily hit her.            If he wanted Khan angry, he succeeded beyond his own capability to contend with. It was time to end this once and for all and no true finality ever came from mercy.

The journey to the transporter room was short, thanks to the augment stamina for running and the use of turbolifts. Khan led Otto and Rodriguez silently, not needing to look behind him to know that they were following.

The door to the transporter room was closed and locked. Khan’s attempt to override the security code failed and the obstruction only fed his anger. He fired one shot from the phaser into the control panel, leaving it a blackened hole in the wall as he then tucked the phaser into the back of his trousers. With his hands freed, he wedged his fingertips between the doors and pulled. The muscles of his lean arms hardened, trembling just slightly as he forced back the doors against their gears that groaned in protest. Without needing the command, Otto took one door and Rodriguez the other. One pull from the three of them was more than enough to slide the doors wide open, snapping them free from their hidden mechanisms.

Khan drew his weapon again and bolted inside in the transporter room just in time to see the ghostly shape of Kirk and Marla dissipate into nothing on the platform. At the controls stood Mr. Spock, Carol Marcus, and an unfamiliar ensign from operations. Spock had evidently been the transporter operator and was thus unarmed. Only the ensign had a weapon and in the seconds it took for them to acknowledge Khan’s arrival, Spock was aware of the balance of power.

“Ensign, destroy it!” The Vulcan commanded curtly.

The ensign was quick and aimed—but Khan was quicker.

One shot to the ensign’s sternum and he was dead before hitting the floor. Khan turned the phaser to Spock. Carol quickly dropped to the dead ensign’s side with useless concern. (He couldn’t be helped now, after all.) Her face was white as a sheet, her hand held over her mouth as she tore her eyes away from the corpse to look at Khan. Spock had the expected stern stoicism, Carol the tremulously brave front that was already cracking at the edges.

“If you would have your life prolonged a little longer, Mr. Spock, step away from the transporter controls,” Khan said with measured politeness, though his chest heaved with subdued rage. “And you, Dr. Marcus…”

Ever the logical one, Spock obeyed and stepped away from the console. Carol hesitated, however, and stared at Khan as though she was a cornered rabbit.

“Really now…” Khan’s voice dropped low and patronizingly as he tilted his head down at her. “Don’t allow one dead man to make you fear for your life. There’s much to be learned from his mistakes. On your feet.”

She gulped fearfully and moved to rise. Suddenly, with surprising speed, she lifted a phaser and fired into the transporter controls. Sparks exploded in a burst of light towards her, forcing her into a defensive crouch.

Khan watched as the power flickered out in the console and it was rendered useless. Not even the most skilled technicians could hope to repair it without all new parts. She took the dead ensign’s weapon right under Khan’s nose. He underestimated her and it made self-anger rise up in him. He wanted to crush her into dust, but it was her _captain’s_ orders, and Khan had other options.

Stalking forward, he seized her small arm and lifted her to her feet. She let out a pained, but stifled noise and seemed to know better than to resist. The Vulcan’s shoulders were particularly tense as he watched Khan move towards the door of the transporter room.

“Bring the Vulcan,” he ordered his men. “You’ll need his assistance in accessing the hangar doors of the shuttle bay.”

Otto and Rodriguez took a place on each side of Spock, who hardly regarded them.

“What will you do with Dr. Marcus?” Spock asked with commendable calm.

“Always craving clarity in uncertain circumstances, aren’t you?” Khan paused in his exit, an indifferent glance given to the blonde whose shaking reverberated through his grip. “Your captain has succeeded in forcing me to travel by shuttle. If I am to walk into a trap, it will not be without some means of leverage. I know how fond you and Kirk are of one another, Mr. Spock, and I would gladly take you in her stead. But you’re a nuisance and I grow sick at the sight of you.”

Taking the last word, Khan dragged Carol alongside him towards the shuttle bay.

 


	21. Chapter 21

Kirk was only hit with a moment of doubt when he carried Marla’s unconscious body onto the transporter pad. It was too late to go back now, and as soon as he gave the command to _energize_ , it was a one way ticket via transporter. Spock had orders to destroy its components the moment Kirk safely rematerialized on the planet’s surface. Furthermore, they were not permitted to give up the ship by any means. Even at the cost of the captain’s life or freedom.

Once his molecules were put back into proper order and the light of the beaming flickered away, he found himself staring into a shadowless grassland bathed in blue. There seemed to be more sky than earth, which was covered over by churning clouds. The landscape was not perfectly flat, since in what faint shadows there were, he could make out the shallow rolling of low-lying hills in the distance.

Sensor readings had given them a heads up of the climate conditions of their coordinate and Kirk had put on a standard issue coat to prepare for it. The same had been put onto Marla’s limp body, so when he felt just how much the wind bit at his skin, he made sure to pull the hood over her head. It felt like a storm was coming in and they just _had_ to beam in the middle of flatlands where there was no cover to be found. Wonderful. The waves in the tall grass glided along like ribbons of light, making the place look almost electrified. In fact, the static in the air told him that perhaps the place literally _was_ electrified.

Marla was laid carefully onto the soft bed of grass and Kirk kneeled beside her. There was a small bruise forming on her jaw where he had punched her, and he winced with guilt. He hadn’t meant to hit her that hard. It was bad enough that he hit her at all, but if that didn’t infuriate Khan, then nothing would.

He pulled on his own hood and forged out to find a means of warmth. Lighting a fire in a currently dry and windy grassland was too stupid to even consider, so instead he looked for a rock. This place was remarkably like Earth, save for the strange specks of what looked like florescent paint in the blades of the grass that stood tall enough to reach his mid-thigh. He found a rock, one a little more than twice the size of his head, and rolled it towards where he had left Marla.

She was still comatose, and he rolled the rock close beside her. Drawing his phaser, he adjusted the setting to a steady beam and fired on the rock until it began to glow a molten red. The heat that emanated from it would have to be enough for now.

Now all he could do was wait.

As much as he wanted to relax and recuperate, he was now on an alien planet. There was no sign of any life around, but that didn’t stop him from expecting some million-eyed, million-toothed thing to burst out of the ground and try to eat him. So he paced in a wide circle around the campsite, creating something reminiscent of a lopsided crop circle in the grass.

He had been moving for only fifteen minutes or so when a small groan came from the ground. Marla was stirring and he quickly dropped at her side to help her sit up.

“You all right?”

The sound of his voice made her gasp and she threw off the hood to stare at him. Then she looked around at the wall of grass that surrounded her.

“Where…? Oh God, are we on the planet?”

“Yeah…” he touched her chin in an attempt to examine her face. “Look, I’m sorry I hit you. I feel… really, really terrible…”

She slapped his hand away, her gaze fixing on him hatefully. “You should feel terrible for thinking you can lure Khan with such an obvious plan. It won’t work, he isn’t stupid.”

“We’re all stupid under the right circumstances,” Kirk said simply as he settled himself on the flattened grass. “Why are you so sure he _won’t_ come after you?”

She finally brought a hand to her bruised face in a poor attempt at nonchalantly hiding from Kirk’s view. But he could see tightening of her lips. “He has his crew now, why should he?”

“You love him though,” Kirk said carefully, gauging her reaction. “Don’t you?”

A smile appeared on her face that was painfully bitter. “When he was going to smuggle his people away from Admiral Marcus, I was going to go with him. He asked me to and I said yes without even thinking to ask him where we were going. It was enough just to be with him. But they arrested me and Khan got away. I was glad. But days turned into weeks, then weeks turned into months, and I couldn’t help wondering if he knew where I was. If he was going to come back for me… I feel selfish for thinking he would, and it’s idiotic to think so, but… I guess we can’t stop ourselves from hoping we can be that important to anyone. But then, he’s not just anyone…”

He didn’t know why she was telling him all this. But the look of pain that distorted her face, and the shaking that suddenly began to wrack her body could be nothing else but emotions spilling over. That look of agony was a long overdue catharsis and Kirk wouldn’t interrupt her now.

“The truth is, I can’t handle any more of this,” her throat constricted and the tears filled her eyes. “The waiting and thinking just maybe he’d come for me because I was _almost_ certain he loved me once…”

She stopped to drag the sleeve of her jacket under her eyes and push the disheveled red strands from her wet face.

“I don’t want him to come,” her voice hardened. “I want him to accomplish what he set out to do from the start—where I had no place to begin with—so I can finally tell myself with certainty that I’m not to him what he is to me. And I’m fine with that. As long as he can save the people that truly matter to him…”

Her erratic breathing revealed that she was containing more tears than she was letting out. Even though this woman was a traitor who had mucked up his ship from the inside, it was hard to watch. She was more tormented about Khan than she was about going rogue against her own people. Marla McGivers was in love with a monster and had the misfortune of knowing it.

He sat back quietly, to let her cry as much as she needed to. When her sobs finally lightened to mere sniffles, he propped an elbow on his knee and leaned forward.

“You wanna know why I took the risk of using you as bait? I wasn’t betting on a fifty-fifty chance that he cared about you.”

Her reddened eyes turned to him skeptically, but curiously.

“See, Mr. Spock and I had an argument while you and Khan were in the maintenance tunnels sabotaging my ship. We disagreed on whether or not someone’s love for another person could be seen by the way they look at each other. Spock said that was bullshit—not exactly his words—and I said it was true. I saw that look on Khan’s face three times, and each time was because of you. I saw it when he called the bridge and nearly passed out, then when he overheard that you were arrested, and finally when he saw me hit you. You didn’t see how enraged it made him.”

She was simply staring at him and he could tell she was disbelieving every word of it.

“I agree with you completely, Marla, when you say Khan is human. When we had him in the brig a year ago, he showed us just how much of a raw nerve his heart is when it comes to people he cares about. He lets it rule over his brain more often than not, and for the sake of war, I’m not afraid to exploit that. He’s definitely in love with you and because of it, he’s going to lose.”

He meant to sound proud of such a victory, but he was surprised at how solemn his voice was. Maybe even a bit guilty for resorting to such a low tactic.

“And you call him ruthless?” she looked at him with revulsion.

He had no response. Just a lingering sense of shame somewhere in his gut. The communicator chirped on his belt, with a clearing of his throat, he answered it. “Yeah.”

“ _Sulu here, captain! One shuttlecraft has just deployed and is en route to your coordin—it’s Khan, but he has—with him and—estim—ETA of—approx—”_

“Sulu?” He attempted to adjust the frequency, but all that spattered through were fragments of sound and static. “Sulu! Great…”

The communicator was snapped shut and he looked to Marla. The look on her face was a startling mixture of joy and terror, the tears all but gone.

“See?” he wished he could manage a smug smile. “All he has to gain by coming is you, Marla.”

He also had everything to lose.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Had Spock been able to detect a logical alternative, he would not have been so cooperative in opening the hangar doors for Khan’s shuttle to depart with Carol Marcus as a hostage. But, due to the nonfunctional transporters, a shuttle would be Kirk’s only means of returning to the ship. Spock did not believe in luck, but he had to rely on the captain’s occasional strategic prowess to survive and possibly commandeer the shuttle—ideally without Khan in it.

Rather than trying to calculate the odds of what may or may not occur on the planet’s surface, Spock had his own priorities as acting captain. They needed to take back the _Enterprise_ by any means necessary. Only then could a rescue effort be carried out for Jim. Unfortunately, the augments called Otto and Rodriguez were currently escorting him to the brig where he wouldn’t “be a nuisance.” As they marched him along, Spock was in the process of formulating an escape plan.

A phaser blast suddenly exploded close to his pointed ear and Otto was knocked to the ground. Spock didn’t know the source and could only conclude that it was friendly, so he took his chance. With Otto momentarily stunned, he turned and latched his hand onto the crook of Rodriguez’s neck. The nerve pinch was only mildly successful on augments and the pain that seared through Rodriguez’s nervous system was evident in his surprised roar, his legs buckling beneath him. It was enough for Spock to wrench the phaser from his hand and begin firing.

The unknown shooter fired shot after shot, the pitch of the blasts recognizable to Spock as the stun setting. Spock used the same, shooting ceaselessly at Rodriguez until the stun effect finally dropped him unconscious to the floor. By the time he looked, Otto had been rendered comatose as well.

“Commander!”

Spock turned to see a red shirt crawling out of the wall.

“Mr. Leslie,” Spock didn’t intend to sound so surprised. “I gather you have finally found your way out of the maintenance tunnels.”

“Yes, sir…” Leslie looked wide-eyed to the augments at their feet. “Are those…?”

“Khan’s crew,” Spock finished for him. “Come with me, lieutenant. We must get to engineering to erase the data archives from the ship’s main computer.”

There was no time to explain why to Mr. Leslie, and there was no need. The man followed close at Spock’s heels, armed and on the lookout.

* * *

 

               

The viewscreen was alight with multiple displays. It showed the sensor readings of the planet below, a tactical of the _Enterprise_ to track every last life sign reading, and the status of the singular shuttlecraft that had been deployed from the ship.

The blips that indicated the newly revived augments were spreading meticulously throughout the ship, one batch clearly on its way to the bridge. Kirk had given explicit orders to not resist them _or_ cooperate. To anyone else, those might have been orders to just sit on their hands, but to Sulu it was the biggest responsibility he ever had while sitting in the chair.

“Any luck contacting Kirk?” he looked to the lieutenant who sat in Uhura’s chair.

“There’s even more interference than before,” huffed the lieutenant.

“There’s a massive electromagnetic storm headed for his coordinates,” said the science officer. “Even if the transporters were functional, they could never penetrate it.”

Sulu frowned at the readings of the storm. “I don’t know if Khan’s shuttle can handle that kind of environment…” Khan could fall into a black hole for all he cared, but Dr. Marcus was on that vessel, too.

“Sir!” an ensign spoke up from the tactical station. “They’re on the turbolift!”

“Everyone carry on at your workstations and _do not_ provoke Khan’s people. We’re expendable until Mr. Spock can erase the databanks…”

When the doors opened, about a dozen of Khan’s crew marched in, all of them armed and as calm as if they had already won. The leader of this unit was ridiculously tall and broad and he strutted directly towards Sulu, who swiveled the command chair to face the intruders, but deferred to politely stand.

“My name is Joaquin,” announced the tall augment with some pride before fixing his eyes on Sulu. “I was told the first officer has pointed ears… Who are _you_?”

“Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu.” He could sound proud of his name, too! “I am the current duty officer. Whatever demands you’re making, you make them with me.”

Joaquin didn’t look amused with Sulu’s fearless front. “Very well then, lieutenant. Surrender the ship or we will begin to systematically kill your sleeping crew one at a time. From what I understand, we have hundreds to pick through until you obey.”

“We won’t resist,” Sulu answered clearly, even though it killed him to form the following words. “We surrender…”

He forced himself to stand and step away from the chair. Joaquin was all too eager to replace him at the command post. The augments spread throughout the bridge, trapping every Starfleet officer under the firing end of a phaser. Sulu hoped Kirk and Spock knew what the hell they were doing, because this sure as hell felt like losing a war rather than just a battle.

 

* * *

 

The planet filled the view of the shuttle’s small windows. They were flying towards the darker side of the world, which was hazed over by the ominous layers of storm clouds, an occasional flicker of lightening blinking below. Whatever this world was, it did not seem welcoming to Khan. And Kirk had taken Marla to it.

“Computer, is there information on the approaching planet?”

“ _Designated number 5 planet of the Ceti Alpha Star System. Class M. Status: Uninhabited, uncertified for colonization. Atmospheric gases contain 77.9% Nitrogen, 21.1% Oxygen…”_

As the smooth, womanly voice of the computer listed the environmental details of the planet, Khan absorbed every piece of it. All the while, he completely ignored the little bursts of frightened breaths from the seat beside him. He made sure to place Carol where he could see her, since he was generous enough to spare her from any constraints.

“ _Advised corrections in landing coordinates. Current heading into dangerous levels of wind turbulence and electrical interference. Confirm current heading._ ”

“Confirm,” Khan breathed with mild annoyance.

These 23rd Century computers were so thoughtful, so… caring. It was more burdensome than helpful for all the endeavors that Khan had been pursuing in his time here. Carol’s breath was held and he could feel her looking at him. But when he shifted his gaze askance to meet hers, she instantly averted it to look out the window. Her attempt at stillness only made her tremble more and his every subtle movement in flying the shuttle made her entire body cringe defensively, no matter how much she tried to hide it behind quiet defiance. It would be far too easy to stamp that out if necessary, he knew.

He remembered her. They had crossed paths more than once since his first awakening in this century, but he had never truly spoken to her. They were now the only two occupants of the shuttlecraft, but so long as he remembered who her father was—and now who her commanding officer was—he wouldn’t deign to speak to her. Besides, she was clearly terrified of him and Khan relished it.

The shields were raised on the shuttle in preparation for reentry and the violent tempest that greeted them.

 


	23. Chapter 23

Khan was coming.

More importantly, he was coming for _her_.

Marla’s body ached with exhaustion, from endless hours of crawling through a ship, being stunned by a phaser, and not a bite of food or drink of water in all that time. But all she needed was him now, everything else could come later.

The increasing dampness of the air made the chilled wind cut deeper with each passing minute. Marla couldn’t tell if the sun was setting or if the clouds were just becoming so thick that they blocked out all possible light. The susurrus of the grass as the wind gusted over it was almost deafening. More and more drops fell from random angles of the sky to hit the exposed skin of her face.

Kirk didn’t seem to give up on his self-assigned duty of phasering the rock to keep it hot, for what little good it did. There wasn’t so much as a tree within sight of the darkening grassland to provide shelter, and Marla could see it in his restless movements that she wasn’t the only one concerned. Especially with the flashes that illuminated the sky at shortening intervals, the thunder rumbling in the distance. The storm was approaching fast.

In an attempt to ward off the cold, she hugged the uniform jacket tightly around herself, one hand holding the edge of her hood to keep it from blowing off her head. She paced slowly in a circle to ease the anxiety that racked her body, but she couldn’t look away from the sky.

Lightning suddenly clawed its way across the sky directly overhead, the boom of the thunder shaking the ground before the light had even faded completely. It made Marla gasp loudly with surprise, her body instinctively jolting backward.

“You should get down,” Kirk called over the wind. “We’re the tallest things in this field.”

When she turned to look, she saw that he was already on his haunches beside the dimly glowing rock, both hands extended to it for what little warmth it had to offer. She wouldn’t argue. Getting struck by lightning would have been a terrible way to end the day after everything else she had gone through. She carefully lowered herself onto her knees across from him, her palms held towards the rock that was probably radioactive by now.

“Couldn’t you have chosen some place safer for your hostage situation?” she felt compelled to ask.

“I didn’t want you to get bored,” he replied without a beat.

A short chuckle burst out of her, but she quickly stifled it. The last thing she needed to do was show James Kirk—the notorious womanizer—that he was actually a little charming.

“I really don’t think I’m the one who’s hooked on thrills…” A small smile appeared in spite of herself.

“No, no. ‘Course not…” he said with heavy sarcasm.

“I think I could do without any thrills for the rest of my life…” she thought aloud as she watched the raindrops hit the heated rock in bursts of steam. The droplets were getting bigger.

“Couldn’t you have pursued something a little more mundane after you were discharged from Starfleet?” He sounded sincere this time, and though she could feel his eyes on her, she didn’t want to look at him.

“Like what?” she replied quietly. “I couldn’t go back to my family. I would have to explain to them why I was arrested and discharged dishonorably. I can’t lie to them, either. Besides… I’d always know Khan was out there. Somewhere. And he’s not exactly a man that you can invite home for the holidays. Even though my Starfleet career is over, there’s still so much more I can do. Or at least I thought so…”

There was a subtle nod of his head as he too looked to the rock between them. “I get it…” he murmured. “Don’t think I’m not pissed about what you did on my ship, but… I get it. It’s hard to ignore it once you find your purpose.”

She looked at him with astonishment. He wasn’t making fun of her or lecturing her. He was treating her as an equal, not a prisoner or a subordinate.

“Thank you…” she had to say it. “That actually makes me feel a little less insane.”

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t, though.”

She should have been insulted, but when she caught the smirk on his face, she laughed again. It felt strange to laugh, and she didn’t stop it this time. She needed it.

“You’re not so well-rounded yourself, you know,” she retorted.

He opened his mouth, seeming ready to reply, when a curtain of water suddenly dropped on them, instantly throwing up a puff of steam from the heated rock. The downpour was so sudden and so immense that the sound of it almost deafened her from the roar of a shuttle’s engines, the high whine of its coils the most clear to her ears.

She could hear it, but when she looked up, there was nothing but the roiling storm clouds and sheets of rain as the wind began to gust it in all directions. Kirk heard it too and was looking skyward. It was impossible to tell if it was coming or going, so when it faded away and Marla felt panic flutter in her stomach.

“He might not be able to find us in this storm,” he shouted over the growing squall. “It’s probably interfering with his instruments.”

Kirk should have been glad that Khan couldn’t find them, at least for his own sake. But the violence of the storm began to make her fear more for Khan who was now flying in it.

Then she spotted it.

The shape of a shuttlecraft emerged from the clouds as a bulky silhouette, the lights on its hull distinguishing the fore from the aft as it came about and began to descend in their direction. It meant he _did_ find them and was coming in for a landing. But even from the ground Marla could see the vessel being rocked by the wind of the storm.

The sky suddenly filled with light, the spear of a bolt enveloping the shuttlecraft, its hull lighting up red hot for an instant. The thunder was so loud when it boomed overhead that the shuttle noiselessly nosedived into the earth a few hundred feet away, rocks and patches of grass spraying in front of it. As the thunder rolled away, the sounds of the whirring engines sputtered and died out.

The air left her lungs so quickly that she couldn’t even scream and her legs were already moving beneath her, carrying her faster than she thought her tired body could manage towards the crash site. Just before she reached it, the door of the shuttle dropped slowly open with a hiss, becoming an askew set of steps on the damaged grass. Emerging against the dimly lit interior was a familiarly lithe figure.

At first she doubted her own eyes. There had been so many days spent imagining this, painfully wishing for him to rescue her in the past, that she thought she was finally hallucinating. There was only one way to be sure he was tangible and not a mirage.

She threw her arms around his neck, her rain-soaked body dangling against his wonderfully substantial and real body. His arms coiled around her tightly—not to their full capacity to snap her in two—but possessively, maybe even protectively. It didn’t matter. He was there with her, and in that instant where she was oblivious to the dangerous circumstances surrounding them, that was all she could think about.

The blissful moment, which was shorter than it seemed and never long enough, slowly began to crumble away when she felt his body tense up against her, his chest puffing with a sharp intake of breath. It suddenly felt as though she was hugging a granite statue, and when a voice sounded from behind her, she knew the source of his ire.

“She’s yours, Khan,” said Kirk.

The captain’s hands were raised to show that he was unarmed, his chest heaving from running after her across the wet grassland. His usually perfect hair had become rather flattened on his head from the still-pouring rain. Kirk’s dauntlessness seemed especially forced to her where he was pinned under Khan’s predatory gaze.

“She was never yours to give,” Khan fired back. Without taking his eyes from Kirk, he eased Marla aside. “You’re quite proud of yourself, and I applaud you for your tactic…” His words cut through the noise of the rain with menacing clarity. “I know you would be content if I marooned you here to allow your dear crew a fighting chance against mine. You would happily die for them on the condition that you die alone. Killing you is pointless, so I will be sure to _hurt_ you.”

Kirk grabbed at the phaser on his hip, ready to draw it and go down fighting. An unnerving, close-mouthed grin wrinkled Khan’s sharp features. It was pure sadism and she didn’t like it.

“Khan—” Marla grabbed his arm.

“Fear not, captain…” he still spoke patronizingly to Kirk, but he pulled Marla closer against him with an arm at her waist. “There’s no point in fighting when we both know that you welcome any physical match, even if I would obviously win….”

Marla was becoming both confused and frightened, even as Khan turned her and directed her up the crooked steps and into the interior of the shuttle. She had to grab onto a rail to keep herself from sliding on the slanted floor as rainwater dripped from them both. Movement caught her eye and in the co-pilot’s seat was Carol. She was buckled in, her head looking too heavy for her neck and blood on her forehead.

Why was Carol there?!

Before Marla could even form the question, Khan maneuvered with surprising grace in the awkward space and unstrapped the blonde from her seat. She was hoisted into his arms as though she was little more than a sack of potatoes and he was walking back through the door of the shuttle.

“Carol!” she heard Kirk’s voice call out.

“Consider this a due reminder that I am less afraid to cross lines than you are. She’s yours, _captain._ ”

Marla charged after Khan into the downpour just in time to see him drop Carol hard onto the muddying ground. Carol cried out in pain and Kirk was instantly upon her, looking her over for any apparent injury. It left Marla stunned for a moment, but she resisted when she realized Khan was herding her back into the shuttle.

“No, wait,” her eyes were fixed on the Starfleet officers in the rain.

Kirk had put his jacket on Carol to provide her with some meek protection from the rain. But he was getting on his feet and drawing his phaser.

“You son of a bitch!” Kirk’s bitten-out words were barely audible over the sound of the storm.

“Khan!” Marla gasped out.

Khan turned at the shuttle’s entrance—Kirk shot him. But it was on stun, and Khan only teetered a bit from the impact where he stood, the worst damage being a few strands of dripping black hair thrown down over his furrowed brow. Khan’s breath quickened with anger, and she could see his muscles jumping for a fight beneath the wet material of his shirt as it clung to his biceps.

“Fire again and Carol Marcus will be living out her exile alone.”

Marla held her breath and watched over Khan’s shoulder as Kirk aimed the phaser again—but he didn’t fire. His gaze jumped back and forth from Khan and down to Carol, who sat upright in the puddled grass. Carol was desperately shaking her head at Kirk. The captain mouthed a curse and lowered the weapon.

“Admirable choice.” Khan said flatly and stepped back inside the shuttle.

With the press of a button, the shuttle’s door lifted and latched shut, efficiently sealing out most of the noise from outside. The violent storm was now a series of rapping on the hull of the vessel. With direct, purposeful movements Khan was moving for the cockpit where he seated himself at the controls. The rigidity of his body showed just how focused he was on his current mission. He had gotten Marla, now he was going to return to the _Enterprise._

“You can’t just leave them out there,” she finally found her voice again, though it was hoarse.

Khan made no reply, but she knew damn well he heard her. Why did he risk everything only to ignore her now?

“There’s no shelter for miles and the storm is only getting worse!”

His movements were almost mechanical as he began pushing buttons on the console. But none of them responded. They clicked lifelessly, the screens black and dead. Not one of them so much as beeped or buzzed. She didn’t need to be an engineer to know that the lightning bolt fried the circuits.

She could only see the back of his head, but by the way his fists balled and shook with forced control, she knew they were now as stranded as Kirk and Carol. Somehow it made her want to smile with relief.

With as much grace as possible with slick boots on a sloped floor, she crept up behind him. She could practically hear him thinking, worrying, and strategizing. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her cheek to his wet temple. Almost instantly she could feel him melding into her. It only empowered her intention to kill him with kindness where shouting had failed so miserably.

“Please…” she whispered. “We’re not going anywhere anyway. At least let them come in while the storm lasts….”

She could feel his chest deflating beneath her, and with a loud (and she suspected intentionally dramatic) exhale, he turned his face away from hers. Just when she thought her plea was in vain, he rose from his chair and faced her. His expression softened when his multi-colored eyes met hers. As if self-conscious of his dropping defenses, he tore his gaze away with a frown.

“Stay here.” He commanded and moved past her.

When the door of the shuttle opened, a wall of wind and rain burst inside. Without so much as a flinch against the freezing wetness, Khan vanished out the door.

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

Spock and Lt. Leslie managed to reach the main terminal in engineering without detection. Since Spock was especially proficient in computer technology, he worked quickly to access the data library while Leslie stood guard. Every informational file was selected for deletion, including journals, manuals, schematics, charts, and logs, as well as the engineering journals that Montgomery Scott had painstakingly begun to put together.

With all the data marked for deletion, it was going to require 53 minutes and 12 seconds to be thoroughly wiped. The procedure was in progress and he moved on to check the status of the ship’s communications. They were not yet online, but the records showed that the circuits had been accessed only moments ago. He trusted that Nyota and Ensign Chekov were working diligently on reconnecting it.

He felt the somewhat irrational impulse to attempt calling Kirk’s communicator, to ascertain whether or not he was all right. But it would have been counterproductive to do so and would have done nothing but reassure him, which was unnecessary in the midst of a battle. It was time to solve the most immediate problem: Khan’s crew.

“Mr. Leslie,” he turned from the computer at last and the red shirt stood at attention. “The task of subduing the intruders on board the ship has fallen upon us. We have many disadvantages: We are outnumbered, outmatched, and cannot rely upon transporters or transmitters for assistance. Our most effective approach, therefore, must be a combination of stealth and our experience with the technology on hand.”

He could see Leslie’s Adam’s apple jump with nervousness. “Yes, sir… but what about the built-in countermeasure for intruders? The gas, I mean.”

“Negative, Lieutenant. Subjecting our own already sedated people to a second dosage of the gas could potentially endanger their lives. Furthermore, to effectively render Khan’s genetically superior people unconscious may require a higher concentration of neuro-gas, therefore furthering the risk factor to our people. Even if their lives are not endangered, it would only prolong their sleep and we need our crew as soon as possible. Wouldn’t you agree, lieutenant?”

“Of course, commander,” he could see Leslie’s disappointment. “Ready for your orders on how we should proceed, sir.”

“Since we cannot overtake the augments physically, and are restricted by our moral commitments to avoid killing whenever possible, I believe the best action would be to employ Doctor McCoy’s surprisingly efficient tactic of directly sedating them with tryxolene. Assuming that his colorful metaphors were in some way congruent with the dosage that he administered to Khan, we have a point of reference for how much must be used on the other augments. If we must drug the intruders one by one to tip the scale in our favor, then that will be our strategy until more opportunities arise. Any further questions, lieutenant?”

He could read the all-too-apparent emotion on Mr. Leslie’s face. The man was uncomfortable with the plan. Spock couldn’t blame him, such a tactic was not ideal. But Leslie hardened his jaw and nodded.

“Very good,” Spock’s approval would be given flatly. “We will navigate the ship via maintenance tunnels to avoid detection.”

Mr. Leslie groaned quietly.

It was illogical for him to be reluctant to reenter the shafts now that he had a Vulcan guide to prevent him from getting lost again. But Spock would not address the other man’s discomfort so long as it did not interfere with their mission. He signaled for Leslie to follow him, but a voice echoed from above, immediately halting them.

“That’s an impressive plan…” said a sultry voice.

Leaning casually over the rails of the upper level was a dark haired woman, her shapely lips curled into a look of amusement. Her eyes were especially keen on Spock. Spread out around them were more than a dozen of Khan’s crew. All of them were armed.

“McPherson…” she addressed a cohort without taking her eyes off the Vulcan. “Call Joaquin. Tell him we found the pointed-eared first officer.”

Captured again. Spock sighed quietly and maintained his indifferent posture. It was time to come up with a new plan…

 

* * *

 

               

The force of the rain as it poured down was quickly growing painful. Carol was wearing his jacket and Kirk could practically feel the top layers of his skin being washed off. With the added danger of lightning directly overhead, options were limited. He kept her close to him, expecting the shuttle to start up and launch at any moment. But the engines were still shut off. At this point he wouldn’t have put it past Khan to hang around just to watch his enemies die an agonizing death while he sits merrily in the warmth of the shuttle.

Until the thing showed signs of taking off, Kirk was going to make as much use out of the vessel as possible—well, while locked on the outside of it. Taking Carol’s hand in his, they took cover beneath the low wing of the shuttle. They had to stoop to fit beneath it, the rainwater flooding their feet, but no longer pounding onto their heads. Bending his body only reminded him of the cracks and bruises that Khan left on him.

Carol was a soaked mess, even when she pulled the hood off her head. The silky blonde hair that often secretly mesmerized the captain was now tangled and clumped, her mascara running a bit around her eyes. He easily found a disheveled woman insanely attractive, but the hint of blood on her forehead distracted him from all thoughts of admiration. He moved in nearer to her for a better look at the wound in the dark, his thumb lightly brushing the edge of it to measure the size of the lump.

“You okay?” he squinted empathetically.

“I’m fine…” her voice trembled, either from fear or the cold. Probably both.

She winced at his touch and he quickly retracted his hand. “Sorry… What’d that bastard do to you?”

“He didn’t do this,” she explained quietly. “It happened in the crash…”

He hovered close. He should have given her back her personal space, but she didn’t seem to mind the additional warmth.

“I’m sorry, Carol. It’s my fault you were dragged into it. He might not have brought you if I didn’t take Marla first.”

“He’s an animal…” she said sharply under her breath. “He killed Lieutenant Donalson without any mercy….”

Donalson, the first casualty. There was a wrenching of guilt at the consideration that his death was caused by Kirk’s provocation of Khan, but he couldn’t dwell on that. Risking the lives of other people was a consequence of command that he was still learning to contend with.

Light flashed in from all sides of the wing that protected them, the following thunder shaking the hull beside them. It only did more damage to Carol’s already frayed nerves and she huddled into herself, her eyes pinching closed. She was cold, afraid, angry, and in pain, so Kirk did the only thing that he could in the given circumstances. He pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her narrow shoulders. She buried her face in the drenched fabric of his gold tunic.

“Jim…” her voice was slightly muffled. “What are we going to do?”

There was another flash, but this time there was an additional shadow. Standing in the rain just outside of the shelter of the wing was Khan. His dark, lean frame was arched to look at them beneath the low cover. The rain drained downward over his black hair, pouring in streams from those ridiculous cheekbones. If Kirk thought he was intimidating with a straight posture, this bent one was downright disturbing.

“A word, captain.”

The low register of his voice nearly blended with the thunder. Carol shrank behind Kirk who made certain to stand between her and the enemy.

“You want to talk now?” Kirk said incredulously.

“I am going to tell you the terms of our impasse.”

That was a weird thing to say. But Khan’s choice of the word ‘impasse’ aroused the captain’s interest. It meant something had gone wrong for the augment, and whatever it was, Kirk suspected it was the reason for the shuttle still being grounded.

“We’ll talk inside,” Khan took Kirk’s silence as consent and quickly climbed the steps back into the shuttle.

Kirk moved to follow, but Carol clawed at his tunic and held him back. “Jim, wait!”

“Don’t worry…” he gently, but firmly, pulled her behind him. “If he wanted us dead he would have done it by now.”

“Unless if he needs us as bargaining chips to get back to the _Enterprise…_ ”

Khan was certainly a fan of hostages. Kirk remembered perfectly well having a phaser jabbed into the back of his skull. So, he didn’t have a counter argument to Carol’s very valid point. Instead, he cleared his throat.

“Well, we can’t just stay out here. And the longer we can keep him on the ground, the better.”

He pressed on and she hesitantly followed.

He entered the shuttle first, his hand on the phaser at his hip just in case. Khan was waiting with the rainwater still dripping off of him, his soaked hair now slicked back out of his eyes. At a glance, Kirk saw Marla standing wide-eyed near the cockpit, seeming to share in Kirk and Carol’s cautious bewilderment as she watched from afar. It didn’t seem to be an ambush, so Kirk helped to pull Carol inside by the hand. The rain gusted in behind them, continuously wetting their backs.

“You can shut the door, captain, you’re not in danger here.” Khan looked slightly bored, but something in his tone indicated that the danger was very real should Kirk provoke it.

Without taking his eyes off Khan, Kirk hit the button and closed the door. The sudden quiet within the shuttle somehow made Kirk feel more vulnerable. So he was sure to hold his brave frown.

“Alright, Khan. What are your terms?”

“The shuttle is dead. I would just as soon leave you at the mercy of the elements…. But Marla continues to have a misguided conscience concerning your wellbeing. I will grant you shelter as my prisoners only until the storm passes and we are returned to the ship, in which my people will have taken control by this time.”

Khan was so self-assured of his victory that he was actually humoring the woman he loved. Only when Khan paused did Kirk finally swipe the droplets from his face thoughtfully.

“How generous…” he murmured. “Can I offer a counter proposal?”

Khan’s eyes narrowed curiously.

“A truce,” said Kirk. “You called it an impasse and I offer we treat this as such. That we consider this—” he pointed to the puddled floor of the shuttle, “—neutral ground and lay down all arms and ill intent.”

Khan smirked with amusement and lifted his chin haughtily. “Your negotiating skills are lacking, captain. Why would I agree to a truce when I have already won?”

Oh, Kirk was glad he asked.

“Before I beamed down here, I ordered Mr. Spock to erase all the data from the computers. Without the manuals—and without you—you’re army of supermen won’t be able to so much as operate a replicator to make a sandwich let alone operate a nuclear-powered starship. My people have standing orders to do nothing that your people ask, even upon pain of death. Your crew will need them to keep her flying, and so long as my crew is alive and in control of that ship, your chances of winning are easily slashed in half. It’s my people against yours, so I wouldn’t be so premature in assuming who the victor is here.”

Khan was staring at him, and the more that Kirk spoke, the wider those sharp green eyes became. He was sure he could see Khan’s pupils shrinking, his body so still he seemed to have turned to stone. He looked ready to crack.

“Well?” Kirk stared back at him without blinking. “The fight’s out of our hands, Khan. Even if one or both of us die here, it won’t change the outcome of what goes on up there. We might as well call a ceasefire.”

Khan’s confidence was shaken. He could see it in the somewhat crazed look in his cat-like eyes juxtaposed to the dipping of his proud features. After seeming frozen for so long, he finally allowed one slow blink. He inhaled slowly through his nose and seemed to force his head up again, to regain his usual regal poise.

“I stand corrected…” Khan looked pissed about it, and yet there was an underlying smile as he held a hand out. “You have excellent skills of negotiation.”

Kirk didn’t try as hard as Khan did to hide his smile and he firmly took the deceptively slender hand that was offered. There was something surreal in this first contact with Khan that didn’t break skin or bone.

“May the best crew win.”

“I’m certain they will,” Khan rejoined with a sinister smirk, prolonging the peaceful grip of their hands just long enough to drill Kirk’s eyes with his own for a second longer before letting go.

Kirk had the utmost faith in his people, but technological competency might not be enough to save them from the uncontrolled passions of desperate augments.

It was going to be a long stay on Ceti Alpha V.

 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

Spock discovered that the woman who had captured him and Leslie in engineering was named Kati. Upon her report of it to their leader (Khan’s apparent second in command), Joaquin, she was ordered to bring them both to the bridge. When they arrived, Spock was met by the tall leader, who scrutinized Spock’s ears with mild interest.

“I am Joaquin. And you must be the first officer Spock.”

“I am.”

“Correct me if I am wrong…” Joaquin slowly began to circle around his captive. “You are familiar with the computers on this ship.”

Spock said nothing.

Joaquin stopped to glare demandingly. “Well?”

“You told me to correct you if you were wrong. You are not wrong therefore I need not correct you.”

“In that case, perhaps you can enlighten me as to why we can’t access the ship’s data files. Your crew claims to have no idea why, and they are all terrible liars. More than anything, they’re extremely stubborn and won’t answer me.”

“The answer is quite simple,” Spock said politely. “You cannot access files that do not exist.”

Joaquin’s smug expression dropped. “What do you mean they don’t exist?! I saw them myself!”

Spock quirked a single eyebrow. “Your incredulity indicates that you either doubt your memory or my truthfulness. While I cannot vouch for the capability of your recently cryogenically frozen hippocampus, I can assure you that I am a Vulcan.”

“ _Meaning?_ ” Joaquin barked impatiently.

“I do not lie.” Spock matched his irritation with saintly calm. “The files no longer exist because I erased them, or are otherwise in the process of complete elimination from the system.”

“We did find him at a computer on the engineering deck,” Kati spoke up from behind Spock.

Joaquin’s heavy steps brought him face to face again. “Then stop the process! You erased them, so you restore them.”

“Impossible,” said Spock. “I have placed an override in the system that cannot be stopped by any senior officer on board this ship—myself included. Nor can the information be retrieved without being directly imported from the data archives of a starbase or other external system.”

Joaquin’s face turned a shade redder with poorly suppressed emotion. “Then you and the rest of your bridge crew will instruct my people on how to operate this ship.”

“I’m afraid that is also impossible.”

Joaquin scoffed. “Oh, because you deleted it from your brains too?”

The sarcasm went a little over the Vulcan’s head and Spock frowned at him. “There are no androids commissioned on this ship, and though science officer 0718 is cybernetically augmented, information cannot be erased from his memory—”

“Stop talking!” Joaquin’s voice bellowed out. “Listen closely, Mr. Spock… I will give you the same ultimatum that I have given your helmsman: Cooperate or I will kill your sleeping crew one by one.”

“Your ultimatum is illogical and will prove futile.”

“You mean you _want_ everyone under your command to die?”

“I have stated no such desire.”

“That is certainly how it sounds. Do you think I’m bluffing?”

“Such a possibility has yet to cross my mind.”

“Stop dodging my questions!” A vein was beginning to surface on Joaquin’s brow.

Spock tilted his head curiously. “I am not _dodging_ any of your questions. I have answered every inquiry…”

“Not directly, you smart ass! I _will_ start to kill people until you cooperate!”

“You incorrectly assume that our position in this matter will be altered by a methodical massacre. We have standing orders from our captain to refuse your every demand, regardless of torture or death.”

“Has it occurred to you,” Joaquin began viciously, “that we could kill you all and simply await the return of our leader? Khan can train us.”

“I have considered every alternative. If that is how it must be, then so be it.”

Joaquin stared at him. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”

“I myself have the same difficulty with discerning humor in humans.”

“I expect you won’t have any difficulty discerning _my_ seriousness, Mr. Spock,” Joaquin’s words were curt. “I will give you three hours. If we do not make contact with Khan by the end of that time, I will begin shooting your sleeping crewmembers every thirty minutes beginning with Deck 1 and working my way down until you cooperate. Then we shall see how loyal you are to your captain’s final orders.”

Sulu suddenly interjected from the helm. “When the shuttle entered the atmosphere we lost its signal. We can’t tell if it landed safely or not.”

“Until the electromagnetic storm passes their last known coordinates,” Spock added, “communication will be highly improbable. That is, assuming they are still alive. This planet is unexplored and the storm may last much longer than three hours. It could potentially last for days.”

“Then hope by the time it passes you’ll still have some crewmembers left alive. We’re done here. I am keeping you on the bridge where I can keep an eye on you, but if you value those pointed ears of yours, you won’t say another word. Now I understand what Khan meant when he called you a nuisance...”

He then nodded a silent command to Kati, who roughly began to herd Spock and Lt. Leslie aside and out of the way while Joaquin assumed his place in the command chair once again.

“We may not yet know how to fly this ship, but we do know how your communicators work. If we can’t establish contact with Khan, then we’ll talk to your captain. If he can’t tell us anything, then at least we’ll have the satisfaction of forcing him to retract his orders or know the consequences of them when we begin executing his crew.”

 


	26. Chapter 26

The lights were still on within the shuttle, which meant that it still had power and functioning circuits. Some circuits would need to be bypassed, others completely rerouted, but Khan had no doubt that he could get the vessel to fly again on the auxiliary power.

He had demeaned himself enough by letting Captain Kirk and Dr. Marcus share the shelter of the shuttle, and so he paid little attention to them when they separate themselves as much as possible. Carol took a seat at the farthest end of the shuttle from the cockpit, wrapped tightly in her wet jacket while she let the gallant captain tend to the wound on her head with a med kit. They whispered quietly together, occasionally casting glances in Khan’s direction. But their expressions, when Khan would catch them, were strikingly different from each other. Carol regarded him with the expected hatred, but Kirk had only the wariness of a sportsmanly rival.

Regardless, they were easy to ignore—Marla wasn’t. In the past two hours since he had called the truce with the captain, Marla attempted to speak to him. But he was brief in every word or would resort to only a nod possible. He could not look at her for long before his eyes would avert themselves to his repairs, the storm against the windows, the lifeless consoles—anything else but her exquisite face. She would move towards him and he would move away, until finally she sat apart and watched him with silent defeat.

He was on his back on the floor, the upper half of his body concealed beneath the main console. It was convenient for him that the circuits were in such a difficult place to reach, it allowed him to hide his face. He didn’t want them to see how hard it was to keep that heartless facade.

“You didn’t have to come for me,” Marla’s voice broke the looming silence. “I tried to tell you not to.”

The flatness of her voice sounded bitter and it made him wince inwardly. He could feel her eyes on him but he didn’t stop in his tinkering.

“Khan,” her voice rose in volume this time, attempting to penetrate his apparent selective deafness. “You should have left me.”

He forced in a slow breath, his lungs constricting with a slew of feelings he couldn’t yet resolve. “You needn’t remind me.” He responded tersely, his hands working faster.

“Then why did you come all this way?” her voice cracked. “Really, what was the point in risking everything just to come here and basically ignore me?”

If she only knew just how desperately he wanted to take her in his arms and dote all his affections on her. To kiss her until he was well and truly drunk on the taste and feel of her. But in spite of himself, his hubris made him cold. He heard the chair move as she stood from it, the light blocked from his small nook as she kneeled in the opening.

“Khan…” she whispered softly.

Her voice was so disarmingly gentle that he almost replied. Almost.

“Please tell me you’re not blaming me…” The strain in her voice undermined her attempt to sound indifferent. “Whether or not you think so, I can read you enough to know that this mechanical act means there’s a lot on your mind. I think you’re worried and not as confident as you want Captain Kirk to think you are.”

He closed a fist around the tool in his hand and finally stopped his tinkering. But he continued to stare at the circuits above him, watching her only as a silhouette in the corner of his eye. The light seemed like an aura around her, and he hated himself for noticing. Then, touching just softly enough to make hair stand on end, her hand brushed his sternum to rest over his heart.

“What are you thinking about?” Such a simple question never sounded so much like a desperate plea.

He could feel the creep of vulnerability in the fluttering of his heart beneath her hand. It made him afraid—it made him angry at himself. As if she was a mere cobweb attached to him, he took hold of the console’s edge above him and pulled himself out of the alcove. She withdrew her hand, but stayed where she was, kneeling only a breath away from him. Her hand was already framing his face, forcing him with relentless tenderness to look at her.

“What are you thinking about?” She repeated it so quietly that even he hardly heard it, but the inquiry was clear in her eyes and he wanted to pour his heart out to her.

He couldn’t stand this.

“I am thinking only of repairing this shuttle that we may return to the ship. So you would do well to stop annoying me.”

The words came out rapidly, and no sooner had he uttered them was he pulling away from her touch and onto his feet. With his tools still in hand, he opened the shuttle door and stepped out into the harsh cold of the storm

The malicious downpour had diminished to an icy pitter patter, the wind only evident in occasional light gusts. The thunder continually rumbled, but distantly now as the worst of the storm seemed to be past. The freezing water fell onto his shirt, quickly drenching his shoulders and head foremost as he walked through the slushy grass towards the aft end of the shuttle. This was where many of the main power circuits could be reached. He could have accessed them from the inside, but he needed this unforgiving environment to escape. He welcomed the painful chill in his bones.

He worked diligently, but not too quickly, lest he finished his task too soon and would have to return to her inescapable company. He didn’t know how to face her. All at once, his hands seemed to fail him, as if they had forgotten their purpose, and he stopped to brace his palms on the cold, wet surface of the outer hull, his head hanging from his shoulders with a sudden unbearable weight. He knew this asphyxiating feeling well. It wasn’t some sedative or effect of the weather. It was anxiety.

“She raises a good point, you know.”

The voice startled him and he pushed back from the shuttle. There, hooded from the elements with hands in pockets, was Kirk—looking more like a seafaring captain than a starship captain. He had no clue how long the man had been there, but Khan was determined to hide his embarrassment by slicking back the drenched black strands of his hair to return to his work on the shuttle.

“Marla,” Kirk seemed compelled to clarify. “Why the hell did you come all this way just to ignore her?”

“Because I can’t bear for her to see the fool that she makes me.”

The confession came out before he could even stop it. Yet, it was less embarrassing than being caught off guard a moment ago. Kirk was staring at him, his face a blank slate as he seemed to patiently await some elaboration. Khan stopped working but kept his eyes on the flickering circuits in front of him.

“Thanks to you, this is the second time I’ve abandoned my crew for her. Only this time I have the misfortune for them to know about it.”

The captain’s observant blue eyes narrowed and he leaned a shoulder on the shuttle. It seemed he intended to be there awhile. “Why should it matter if you’re so sure you’ve won? Isn’t this you having your cake and eating it too?”

“Even if I win your ship, it is a paltry victory.”

“What do you mean?”

There was that clutching in his chest again, that anxiety as his mind was prompted to think on it. He took in a slow, forced breath and leaned his back against the hard surface of the shuttle. He looked out at the misted, gray grassland that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

“Since the moment we made our truce, I have been turning every outcome in my head over and over again. If my crew wins, you and yours will be marooned here and we will have the _Enterprise_ and the freedom to fly her at our disposal. But for how long?” He looked askance to the attentive captain. “Your Starfleet will always hunt us, and even to the enemies of the Federation we would be a conspicuous target with such a starship. No matter how formidable she is, the _Enterprise_ is obviously not invincible. If _your_ crew wins… We both know you would stop at nothing to return us to sleep and fulfill your mission of delivering us to Regula I—and I would have no choice but to fight you to the death before submitting to such a fate. That is my duty to my crew… Just as you have a duty to yours. One of those two outcomes will occur, and in neither instance can I ever amount to being what she thinks I am. Or what my crew needs me to be.”

There was a brief silence as the rain fell down on the hull beside them in a cacophony of taps. The silence between the two men, however, was deafening.

“So that’s it then?” Kirk folded his arms and looked to his feet. “You’ve fought yourself into a no-win scenario and you just accept that it’s all battle one way or the other?”

“Is it ever anything else?”

But Kirk suddenly looked to him, his brows furrowed and his lips parted. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“I’ve always done what they have forced me to do.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Kirk scoffed. “But you can’t tell me you don’t get the feeling that we just keep going in circles. In all the fighting between you and me, how far have we really gotten? A stalemate.”

“Every war is bound to plateau before plunging into chaos again.” The words rolled off of Khan’s tongue as if it was an adage he had always known.

“I know with your controlled genetics you’re always up for a good fight, but your life’s ambition can’t be just that. It obviously isn’t, if we go by the way you look at her.”

Khan’s jaw clenched as Kirk brought her back into the conversation. She was far too much of an influence on Khan for him to ever admit it easily. It wasn’t until Kirk stood away from the shuttle’s hull to face him straight on that Khan reciprocated his full attention.

“What is it that you _really_ want, Khan?”

In all this talk of war, the way the question was asked caught him off guard. Kirk wasn’t asking for his demands or conditions. It was an open question—a personal question. Khan was somewhat dazed.

“No one has ever asked…” he confessed softly. He knew what he wanted and didn’t need much time to ponder it. “I want to achieve the full potential of the regime that I was denied. To see a magnificent civilization flourish and surpass any that has ever been known on Earth that we may have a legacy worth owning. To achieve a world where war may never have a purpose ever again. I had come close to realizing such a place when I was a prince… But there were far too many who had the means and wrath to destroy what I built. If we could succeed where we had previously failed, then our superior strength and intellect would finally be put to its _intended_ use.” Each word was like a weight lifted from his chest, but it did not ease the crushing of nostalgia and hopelessness. “What I want, Kirk… is to be a leader. Never a terrorist.”

By the time he finished, there was a look of wonder on Kirk’s face. It was almost as though he expected Khan to make declarations of galaxy-wide annihilation of all inferior races. Such was the assumption of everyone who thought they knew what the Eugenics Wars were about.

“And you?” he addressed the captain to jar him from his stupefaction. “What is it that _you_ really want?”

Kirk blinked. “Me? What does that matter?”

“Surely there is more incentive to joining Starfleet than fighting its wars.”

The returned inquiry seemed to make the captain’s defense finally dissolve away and a smile threatened to appear. “I guess I wanted to achieve something, too. Have adventure in all its risks and mysteries and challenges. Not really for recognition, though. I want to be the first to step foot on a planet so deep in space no one could have even imagined it; to interact with a species that’s never heard of the Federation and could possibly teach us something. I want to try to find that better future that we’re always told about because it sure as hell isn’t here. I want things to be worth the sacrifices that have been made for them… I guess you could say that I want to be an explorer, not a soldier.” He gave a breathy, self-conscious chuckle and once again dipped his chin to look at his feet. “Looks like neither of us are the men we wanted to be…”

Khan had always had a small curiosity of what it was that drove the bravado of Captain Kirk, and though he was not given the details behind the flicker of sadness in those blue eyes, he could see there was more to him than Khan had already given him credit for.

“I was right in my opinion of you…” Khan allowed his voice to be genuinely amicable.

“Yeah, I know all about your opinion of me,” Kirk mocked. “I don’t need another Khan-is-better-at-everything reminder.”

Khan suppressed a smile at his childishness. “It may interest you to know, captain, that I believe you’re much wiser than you think you are. There would be little pleasure for me if I was forced to kill you, and I would not be completely ashamed if you defeated me, because you have proven yourself a worthy adversary. You are a lion that I am proud to hunt.”

Kirk was staring. The confused look on his face seemed to twitch between fear and amusement. “Is that a compliment?”

“If that concerns you, then rest assured I _will_ maroon you and your crew to die on this planet when the time arrives.” Khan regained his sinister tone, and it seemed to comfort the captain.

“Don’t bet on it, pal,” Kirk laughed.

Their mutual arrogance suddenly seemed like a shared joke. Khan allowed a low chuckle to surface and pushed himself away from his lean on the shuttle to return to his tinkering in the open circuit panel.

“I’d offer to help,” Kirk glanced at the shuttle. “But I’m not about to start making things easy for you.”

“You mean _intentionally_ making things easy…” Khan replied distractedly as he tinkered.

“One word,” Kirk sharpened his voice and aimed a pointed finger at Khan. “ _Stalemate._ ” Seeming satisfied with himself, he turned to make his leave when he paused, deliberated, and faced Khan again. “By the way—and I know it’s none of my business—but maybe you should stop punishing Marla. You said you wanted to be a leader, well… She’s crazy enough to have followed you this far because in spite of everything, she seems to think you’re worth it. So, if anyone is making a fool of you, it’s yourself.”

And he disappeared around the corner of the shuttle.

 


	27. Chapter 27

Spock was not exaggerating (as he was prone to do on occasion) about considering every alternative of their predicament. Joaquin was confident that he and the rest of Khan’s crew could learn how to operate the ship without the aid of technical manuals. However, what he failed to realize was that the helm—a vital function of any vessel in air, water, or space—was completely inoperable. The uselessness of it left Mr. Sulu bored in his chair to literally twiddle his thumbs between the periodic adjustments to the orbit by means of thrusters. If that was the extent of the augments’ learning in flying a starship, they would perhaps reach the next star system in approximately 290,000 years.

To say nothing of the dangers of being undereducated in the nuclear functions of something as precarious as a warp core. Knowledge was power, and Joaquin seemed intelligent enough to know how _little_ they knew and to not be too impulsive in his ignorant decisions. The safest alternative would be to wait for Khan. At least under the present circumstances, in which Spock was prepared to alter considerably.

The allotted 3 hours were almost over. By now, Spock knew that the data was irretrievably wiped from the system and all attempted contact with the planet’s surface failed. According to the sensors the storm was passing, but the interference was as impermeable as ever.

“Commander….” A soft whisper drew Spock’s attention to the communication station. Lieutenant Emery, who had taken Uhura’s place, silently nodded to one of the screens in front of him.

Spock moved only his eyes and saw the silently flashing alert on the screen. An outgoing distress signal was being transmitted from the _Enterprise_ , and it wasn’t a very far leap for Spock to deduce that it was being made from one of the maintenance tunnels that Uhura and Chekov had ventured into. It seemed he didn’t have to be the one to tilt the scale after all.

“Well, Mr. Spock?” Joaquin’s voice stole his attention. The augment was staring at him from the command chair in an authoritative lean. He was oblivious to the distress call. “Your three hours are up.”

“It has only been two hours and forty-seven minutes.”

“Then you have thirteen minutes to cooperate before I take action.”

“By ‘cooperate’ I assume you mean that I restore the deleted data files?”

“You said it could be downloaded from an external source. I suggest you do it.”

“To do so may raise some dubious complications—”

“Enough!”

Joaquin stood suddenly from the chair and extended his hand, palm up. One of his men intuitively placed a phaser into it, in which Joaquin pointed it at the nearest Starfleet uniform. His eyes were fixed on Spock, but the tip of the weapon was jabbed into the temple of Lieutenant Rovi at navigation.

“I have led armies across nations and conducted countless executions under Khan’s flag! He has appointed _me_ in control here— do not think I will be tempted to show mercy.”

His finger twitched over the trigger.

“Stop!” Spock’s voice rose a bit, but with some effort he retained his stoic appearance. “I will do as you ask.”

Joaquin smirked with satisfaction, but didn’t retract the phaser from Rovi’s head. “So much for adhering to your captain’s last orders…”

Spock seated himself at his science station and immediately accessed the ship’s computer system. A request was sent to the nearest starbase for a full download of all applicable technical manuals.

“ _Authorization pending for transference of files._ ” The computer gave a somber notification. It was precisely what Spock predicted would happen. “ _Please input request clearance and state the nature of the request._ ”

“Authorization?” Joaquin lowered the weapon and started forward in alarm. “Won’t that draw their attention?”

“It will be made known to members of Starfleet Command that one of its flagships is having numerous technical difficulties. They have already been notified of the malfunctions that had been used as a diversion from Khan’s revival.”

“Withdraw the request!”

“Certainly…” Spock did just that, then calmly swiveled his chair to face the concerned augment. “I should inform you that a distress signal is being broadcast and has been for some time. Taking into account the earlier report of computer malfunctions, the distress call, and the abruptly withdrawn request for official Starfleet technical manuals, an investigation has undoubtedly been initiated.”

Joaquin’s strong jaw fell open, then snapped shut to bear his teeth. “Stop the distress call!”

“It is being transmitted from somewhere on the ship other than the bridge. You are welcome to search each deck for the source.”

“Then call your command and assure them that everything is fine.”

Spock’s brows rose innocently. “Not only would that also be highly suspect, it would be lying.”

By the annoyed rolling of Joaquin’s eyes, he clearly didn’t need a reiteration of the Vulcan principle regarding untruths.

Kati had approached them by now, her dark eyes wide with warning as she looked to Spock. “Then have one of your _human_ crew members do it!”

“Regulations demand clearance from at least one commanding officer of this vessel. The captain is stranded and otherwise beyond any means of communication and our Chief Engineer, the third in command, is under the anesthetic effect of the neuro-gas that Khan released on the ship. Though it may be irrelevant to point out, it is Khan who is responsible for the disabled the helm as well…”

Spock felt a hint of amusement in the irony of Khan proverbially shooting his own crew in the proverbial foot. Caught in the whirlwind of his emotions, he obviously failed to tell them how he sabotaged the ship that he abandoned them on.

“What about your helmsman then?” Kati said challengingly as she threw her sharp gaze in Sulu’s direction. “He was in command earlier—why not him?”

When all eyes were suddenly on Sulu, he squirmed slightly where he had idly been sitting at the helm. “I don’t have that kind of authority…”

Joaquin suddenly snorted and folded his arms. “We don’t even have proof that your command will investigate—”

“Sir!” Lt. Emery peered over his shoulder. “Incoming subspace message from Commodore Ralston!”

Joaquin’s skepticism disappeared as quickly as it came and he curled a fist into Spock’s blue tunic. “If they know one of their ships has been taken over, what will they do?”

It was clear Joaquin meant to intimidate him, which was unnecessary since Spock was glad to answer truthfully. “If it is ascertained that the ship will be used by the intruders to make war either within or against Federation Space, it _is_ within the general orders to have it destroyed—crew and all.”

Joaquin let go of the Vulcan’s uniform to feverishly run a hand through his hair, his eyes darting in all directions. “Make no reply to your commodore… Continue trying to contact either Captain Kirk or Khan while I decide what must be done…”

Spock calmly tugged at the hem of his tunic to pull out the wrinkles that Joaquin created. He then nodded once to Lt. Emery, who made it clear his orders came from his own commanding officer and not Joaquin. With Spock’s permission, he ignored all incoming frequencies.

 

 

 


	28. Chapter 28

She stated very clearly to anyone who would listen that her reasons for helping Khan were purely selfless. Her love for him was something past tense or so insignificant it really wasn’t worth mentioning. It was hard to tell if anyone was fooled by it, because as she looked out the windows of the shuttle at the gray rainstorm and listened to rapping on the hull, she could feel the emptiness left in her from all the lies to them and to herself.

 _Everything_ was for him.

And now she was completely alone because of it.

Maybe it wasn’t love for her that brought him here. Maybe this was him repaying the debt she created by reviving him. Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed him away when he tried to kiss her in the circuit junction. Starfleet had rejected her and she had no family to return to, so Khan was all she had. She burned her last bridge and this was the only one to cut her so deep she was sure there was some internal bleeding.

She felt so alone.

Just as she was beginning to lose the battle in trying not to cry, a sound stirred her from her defeatist thoughts. It was Carol, who had become so quiet on the other side of the small space that Marla had nearly forgotten she was there. Kirk left the shuttle some time ago and could have been face down in the mud under Khan’s boot heel for all she knew.

When she turned to see what the cause of the sound was, she saw Carol kneeled on the floor. Her face was hidden behind her blonde hair as she lifted a panel from the floor with a small metallic scrape.

“What are you doing?” Marla moved towards her with a questioning frown.

“You and Khan aren’t the only ones who know how to sabotage things…” Carol replied tersely. She wrapped her hands around a few circuits and pulled them out with a tiny spark, successfully disconnecting them. “When you tell him, be sure you let him know it was me and not the captain.”

“Carol, I’m not your enemy…” Marla was sincere, but she could see on the other woman’s face just how meaningless it was.

Carol replaced the panel and began to push herself to her feet with some effort, deliberately ignoring the offered hand from Marla. When Carol returned to her seat in the rear of the shuttle, Marla didn’t follow her but watched worriedly as Carol gently pressed a hand to her bruised head.

“Are you all right?” Marla stopped herself from approaching. “Does it hurt badly?”

Carol ignored her completely. It was like Marla was beginning to fade from existence for one person at a time.

“I’m sorry.” Marla couldn’t stand the silence. “I’ve tried so hard to make sure no one was hurt…”

“Don’t apologize, Marla.”

“But it’s my fault we’ve ended up here—”

“Don’t,” Carol’s voice snapped so sharply that Marla was instantly silenced. “I know we were once friends. But with your loyalty to someone like that, I just… I just can’t. Please don’t speak to me…”

Marla had to bite her lip for a moment to prevent the onslaught of tears. She couldn’t be angry at Carol for turning her back to her. She might have done the same if the circumstances were reversed. Carol was more justified to hate Khan than perhaps anyone else. Marla only wished she could hate him too.

The door to the shuttle suddenly opened, and Marla made certain to turn her back towards it to hide the look of pain on her face. As she returned to her spot in front of the shuttle’s windows, she caught a glimpse of Captain Kirk peeling off his wet jacket as he approached Carol.

“You doing all right?”

“A bit tired,” Carol replied softly.

“I know, but with that bump on your head, you’d best stay awake to be on the safe side. I’m no doctor, but I’ve been concussed enough times to know what Bones would suggest…”

The conversation continued more quietly, but Marla was no longer listening anyway. Her thoughts were sinking back into loneliness and confusion. Whether or not Khan or Kirk came out of this stalemate the winner, where would that leave her? Where was she supposed to go? Who would even want her?

She wasn’t sure how long she was staring out at the droplets on the windows when the shuttle door opened again. This time, it could only be Khan who was entering and her heart began to pound painfully against her ribcage. Inside she was screaming for him to speak to her with either definite hate or definite love. But she kept her back towards the cabin. She couldn’t give in to her self-pitying insecurities. Worse than the thought of rejection was the thought of him seeing her cry.

When the shuttle’s door latched shut again, she followed the footfalls of his boots as he moved towards the cockpit—towards her. He was going to test the controls again, but it wasn’t going to work because of Carol’s sabotage. Marla was expected to denounce her, but she wouldn’t. After all, whose side did she belong to anyway? And she knew what could happen when he manages to return to the ship.

There came no sound from the main console, not even the anticipated failed attempt at activating it. Everything was silent when suddenly she felt the tingle of something electric down her spine. Then a pair of cold, wet arms encircled her body, slowly constricting around her to pull her against the equally wet body at her back. Through the chilled clothes emanated warmth.

But it was when she felt the softness of lips on the exposed flesh of her neck that her body involuntarily melted against him. She didn’t care how chilled and damp he was from the rain, the kiss that was placed on her neck and the burying of his face there instantly dashed away all of the doubts that had plagued her. Action is eloquence, and she laid her cheek on the dampened black hair that tickled her. The need to cry was still there, but now for entirely different reasons. He intended to keep her after all.

“You asked me what I was thinking...” His voice resonated against her skin where he concealed his face. There was hint of shame in his voice that broke her heart, even if she had yet to understand why. But it explained why he distanced himself. “That day you swore to meet me in the hangar on Starbase 12, I warned you that I would not wait a minute longer than the chosen time...”

The hardening of his quiet voice pained her.

“I _tried—_ ”

Her defense stopped short when he suddenly lifted his head from her shoulder. In one firm but gentle maneuver he turned her around, forcing her gaze to lock with his. She was stunned by the absence of anger on his face, but he was still so impossible to read.

“I told you I wouldn’t wait one minute longer,” he repeated under his breath. “I waited _five—_ a lifetime during an escape—and because of it they were able to intercept me. This very moment I could be free with my entire crew… but I waited for you.”

She stared at him searchingly, trying to understand why he was making such a confession. There was a terror deep within her that the admission would become an accusation.

“I’m sorry…” she barely managed a whisper. It seemed she was apologizing to everyone today.

The already difficult words were effortlessly silenced by the touch of his hands on each side of her face, his thumbs trailing across her cheeks. The sharp features of his face had softened, taking on that boyish expression that always surprised her when it appeared.

“You could no more stop the planets in their orbit than you could keep me away from you. It’s useless to apologize for what’s out of your control.”

She wanted to slap him. She wanted to hit him hard for choosing someone like her over his crew, after everything he had done for them and everything they relied on him for. It even ruined everything _she_ had done for him. But it wasn’t her anger that won control. Without another thought, she took hold of his face and pulled him down, kissing him hard. She had been aching for the taste of him for so long now that it now made her deliriously dizzy.

He pulled her tightly against him, making her feel weightless by removing the need for her to stand on her own. Though she had been unreserved in planting her lips on his, the way he kissed her back was not particularly lustful or hungry, like she always remembered. It was gentle and lingering as he savored every bit of contact.

It didn’t seem as though anything could pull them apart… until she felt the distinct sensation of icy water transferring from his clothes to hers. It was a bit jarring when it seeped into her now heated and overly sensitive skin.

“You’re soaked…” she breathed against his wanting lips.

The only verbal reply that came from him was a baritone hum. He then leaned back away from her enough to pull off his shirt in one fluid movement (and without any much-needed warning), leaving himself shamelessly and cruelly half-naked. But there was more than taut muscles on a lithe torso to catch her eye.

“Oh my God!” she blurted abruptly, and not in some fit of ecstasy. She was aghast.

His shoulder was marred by burnt flesh that had yet to properly heal, a second equally gruesome gash on his abdomen that was partially concealed at the waistline of his trousers. The surrounding flesh was red, even a bit purple from his body’s attempt to repair itself. The shock of the injuries quickly subsided as they began to corrupt her imagination.

She had seen his naked physique before (though it seemed ages ago) but she had never seen him decorated with the marks of combat. It was the battle-scarred skin of a warrior and it appealed to the historian in her in the most alarming way. There was many a time in her youth that she fantasized about scarred conquerors and it made her entire face burn like a schoolgirl.

Khan’s eyes followed hers downward to the ugly wounds.

“They’re trivial…” he murmured, gently seizing her hand before it could go anywhere near the damaged flesh.

“How did you get them?”

His eyes flickered askance in the direction of Captain Kirk. That was all she needed to know. And it was a horrifying reminder that they had company.

“I’m surprised you’ve both held out this long without trying to kill each other…” she muttered mostly to herself, her eyes all the while unconsciously glued to the canvas of his torso.

It took every ounce of self-control within her to turn away and find the shuttle’s med kit. Kirk was the last one to use it when he treated the bump on Carol’s head, so it wasn’t until Marla had to cross the small space of the shuttle’s interior that it was confirmed her public display of affection with Khan hadn’t gone unnoticed. She accidentally caught Kirk’s eye as she picked up the med kit and the look of pure awkwardness on his face only maintained the red on hers. She avoided all eye contact while trying to seem nonchalant.

By the time she returned, Khan had seated himself in the pilot’s seat, straight-backed and expectant of her nurturing. Obviously, no amount of tragedy and lost battles could ever completely stamp out the gargantuan sense of entitlement in the ex-tyrant. It almost made her smile, but she contained it as she kneeled between his feet at the level of the worst wound.

Using her training in basic first aid, she forced all of her attention on playing doctor—and not the fact that he all-too-gladly folded down the edge of his trousers to allow her access to the injury on his hip. But she could feel his eyes as they looked down on her, that piercing, galvanizing hold they had on whatever they fell upon. When she finally broke her concentration to lift her eyes to his, he didn’t look at her with the possessiveness that she expected. It was the look of love that she never thought she would see again.

The tips of his fingers touched at her jaw, carefully turning her face to the side as though she was made of glass. His brows furrowed as he examined her. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized what he was looking at.

“I can tolerate his attempts on my life…” he said sharply, “…but he’s lucky to be living after laying a hand on you.”

She could see the murderous glint in his eyes and she lightly held his wrist. “He apologized for hitting me,” she tried to keep his wrath contained, even though his protectiveness of her made her heart soar. “He only did what he felt he had to for his crew…” she couldn’t help a small smile, “which is something I’m sure you know nothing about.”

If Khan began denying any similarities to the headstrong captain, she might have laughed right in his face. He allowed a restrained smile to appear and withdrew his hand from her bruised face to rest it on the arm of the chair proudly. She began to clean the wound to prepare it for the proper dressing.

“Careful how you defend him,” Khan still smiled, “or I may become jealous.” Though he seemed to be speaking in good humor, she knew as well as he did how dangerous that could be if it were true.

The idea of making Khan Noonien Singh jealous because of her made her giggle like an idiot. She shouldn’t have felt this happy as she bandaging a phaser wound while being stranded on a mostly mysterious planet. But she felt safe and the universe felt right again.

“If he makes it into the history archives, then we can discuss my interest in him…” she had to tease back, a privilege not many had with Khan.

To be reminded that he was, in fact, a part of history made his chin lift ever so slightly.

There was so much more she wanted to say to him (or do to him, for that matter), but she couldn’t. Not while Kirk and Carol were watching. For privacy’s sake, yes, but especially for Khan who could never abide by an excess of exhibited softness. It didn’t need to be said for them to understand that they had always been bound together and that they finally accepted their linked fate, whether it would take them to Hell or Paradise.


	29. Chapter 29

_The longer we keep him on the ground the better._

Jim’s words became something of a mantra in Carol’s mind, repeating and reminding her that there were more important things than her personal fears. She wanted nothing more than to be back on the _Enterprise_ , or to make a run for it from that shuttle and take her chances in the untamed wilderness of Ceti Alpha V. She would rather deal with unknown alien life forms than the likes of Khan.

But Jim had risked everything to get the ex-despot off the ship and onto the planet on a gamble that it would give Spock and the crew some advantage. She wanted to believe that it was their only chance, so she intended to do everything she could to keep Khan on the planet until the captain told her otherwise, or until Khan stopped her—which didn’t sound like a pleasant prospect in the least.

As soon as Khan landed and made the exchange for Marla, he seemed to have lost all interest in Carol, to her great relief. So long as he associated her with her father, she knew he only needed one reason to snuff her out like a candle. Though she knew how useless obstacles were between Khan and his target, she still felt safer and braver for having Jim there.

Thus far, Khan’s scrupulous focus was on repairing the shuttle. Carol didn’t necessarily want to draw attention to herself by sabotaging his work, so when Khan reentered the shuttle, she was afraid Marla was going to snitch on her. What followed instead was completely unexpected.

When Khan came in from the rain, his eyes were instantly on Marla, who stood apart from the others, her back facing them all. He made a straight line for her, each step slowing the nearer he came. He hovered close at Marla’s back and Carol could see his hands stretch then close as if changing his mind. It was the first time she had ever observed such indecisiveness in the man who apparently excelled at everything. Then tentatively, as if afraid to make any sudden movements, he pulled Marla into an embrace.

Carol couldn’t help staring at the scene as it unfolded. Khan and Marla spoke quietly to one another, and though only a few words could be made out, she could hear the smooth tones of their voices. Jim self-consciously turned his eyes away, in some attempt to offer them privacy. But he was all too aware of the intimacy being exchanged, she could tell. It was so surreal to Carol, however, that she was uncomfortable for different reasons.

At first, it all made her angry. She couldn’t help thinking how much of a fool Marla was for being so enamored with such a person, how blind she had to have been. According to history he was a tyrant and to Carol he would always be the man who savagely killed her father, a sight and sound she could never erase from her memory, let alone her own physical pain of a shattered leg that accompanied it.

He was a beast, no matter how genuinely he seemed to express love and tenderness to Marla. And yet, the way he looked at her and touched her showed how precious he thought her to be, reminding Carol that even a man like that could feel affection. He wasn’t purely evil or heartless, he was still a human (though enhanced). She hated herself for being aware of that.

What was worse, it made her think of her father, who had fallen from being a hero in her eyes to a megalomaniac. Neither her father nor Khan were quite what they appeared to be, and seemed to have contradicting layers that made them especially dangerous. There were too many similarities between them and the realization made her mind go in a direction that she didn’t like.

What if it was her father who made Khan what he was?

 _No, no, no._ Even if the conflict between Admiral Marcus and Khan was mutual, she couldn’t allow herself to begin making excuses for the augment. He was a warlord long before her father was even born—it was programmed into his DNA.

But how different would things have been if he was never blackmailed and controlled by Starfleet?

Her father tried to bottle a hurricane, and by making Khan believe his people were dead in the first place, he started a snowball effect that ultimately killed thousands of people. And somewhere in all that subterfuge and manipulation, Marla was caught in the middle. Marla had no practical use to Khan anymore, he had nothing to exploit from her at this point. Carol also couldn’t ignore the fact that he conceded to the armistice with Kirk when it would have been easier to kill him. There was also the fact that Jim had followed Khan out into the rain and both returned unscathed. What were they doing out there?

It was a long while that Carol was lost in her thoughts. After the display of obvious reconcilement between Khan and Marla, she bandaged his ghastly wounds, then he returned to his tinkering in the cockpit. Meanwhile, Marla curled up in the pilot’s seat to watch him. She must have finally had peace of mind enough to relax, because the red head quickly fell asleep.

“Jim…” Carol said quietly to the captain, who sat tiredly beside her, his arms folded over his chest and his chin dipped a bit. But he wasn’t asleep. “What happened out there? When you followed him outside?”

After a pause, he shrugged. “I talked to him.”

He made that sound so normal and she stared at him for elaboration. “What about?”

“He’s convinced that this will all end bloody.”

“And you don’t?” She could tell he didn’t by the skeptical look on his face.

“I don’t think it has to…” The captain’s brilliantly blue eyes shifted away from her to glance at Khan’s back as it faced them. “But it all depends on him.”

“What does?” She was almost afraid to ask. For as long as she’s known Kirk, his plans were rarely simple or assured.

“I’m going to make a deal with him.”

“Do you really think he’ll be open to any ultimatums?”

“It’s not an ultimatum. It’s a chance, pure and simple. I think I can afford to give him one.”

Khan gave them a chance once: to go down with their ship. She was unnerved by it all, but she trusted Jim’s judgment. “You know he won’t surrender.”

“I won’t either…” he tore his eyes away from the busy augment. The captain leaned in close to her, closing the proximity between them to speak so quietly she could feel his breath and still barely hear him. “You saw what I just saw, didn’t you? Between those two?” He nodded subtly towards the fore of the shuttlecraft. “If you would have heard what he was saying to me out there, and _how_ he was saying it… He’s tired, Carol. It doesn’t really show, but I can see it. He’ll fight tooth and nail to the end because he doesn’t know what else to do anymore. I think he’s forgotten that there’s more to him than war and conquering. But Marla hasn’t forgotten. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have ended up here and I never would have been able to actually talk to him. Actually, we’ve managed to stay here longer than I thought….”

Carol opened her mouth to let him know that it might have been from her little act of sabotage, but she didn’t want to interrupt him when he continued.

“I think I can reason with him and offer a peaceful solution.”

Maybe she wasn’t so crazy in humanizing Khan after all. But it still made her wary. There was still very real danger.

“I can’t imagine him settling for anything less than complete surrender,” she couldn’t help the cynicism.

“I think he’ll settle for a planet.”

Carol stared.

That came out of nowhere and left her momentarily stunned. “The _planet_ …?” She had to repeat it to be sure she heard it correctly. “You mean this planet? Ceti Alpha V?”

“It’s the only decision I can make that would save lives,” he looked intently at her, sounding more confident than his eyes actually were. “As the captain, it’s my responsibility to do what I can to make sure no one dies under my command, whether it’s my people or his.”

“But your mission…” she feebly reminded him, finding it a weak argument. “Starfleet won’t just forget that they trusted you with seventy-three prisoners…”

“I’d rather sacrifice my career than seventy-four lives,” he responded so quickly, and counted Marla in the number, that she was rather impressed. Not that James Kirk ever cared about doing what was expected of him. “Even if by some miracle I could get them back in their cryo-tubes, I’d be handing them over as property of the Federation. Genetically engineered or not, they’re human beings. They fled Earth for a second chance… and I want to give it to them.”

“I think you’re forgetting why they were exiled in the first place…” she was playing the devil’s advocate, for her sake more than his, because this crazy idea sounded frighteningly appealing. “They were trying to purify the human race by killing and subjugating anyone they considered inferior…”

“You can’t argue with the basic principle, though. Their endgame was to end all wars.”

She eyed him critically.

“Okay, yeah…” he quickly added with a wince. “Their methods got a little out of hand… But if we left them here, all of them supermen and superwomen, on a brand new world of their own… They could create a civilization that could one day pave the way for the rest of us. And if it could be founded because one member of Starfleet finally showed them some compassion…? I’d like to think that could start them off on the right foot.”

“Jim…” She gently laid a hand on his and looked him in the eye. “You could lose your command over this.”

“That’s assuming I live through it,” he smiled.

She didn’t think it was so funny. “How are you possibly going to suggest this to—”

Carol stopped abruptly when Khan was suddenly moving in their direction. He only glanced to them once, clearly disinterested in their little conference as he bent down onto one knee and pulled a panel from the floor. It was the same panel that she had delved into earlier to disrupt the shuttle’s functions, and she couldn’t help the slight widening of her eyes as she watched, her throat suddenly dry.

Khan paused as he looked into the floor—her heart was pounding in her ears—and slowly one long finger demonstratively lifted the frayed ends of circuits into clear view. Jim saw the damaged wires and she could tell by the look on his face as he turned to her that he knew she had done it. She now wished she had told him when she had the chance.

“Well, that certainly accounts for the controls being dead, despite all of my repairs…” Khan’s voice reverberated with sarcasm. When his eyes lifted to peer beneath his brow, they landed on Carol with a spark of ominous silver. “It seems we have _rats_ on board.”

 


	30. Chapter 30

 “Sir, Commodore Ralston is still demanding a reply,” Lt. Emery looked up from the communications station, his face wrinkled with growing nervousness. “We’re also being hailed by the _USS Volumnia._ ”

The news of another starship was not as uplifting as it should have been. Spock moved closer to Emery’s post. “Have they broadcast any messages?”

“What are you doing?” Joaquin’s voice boomed out and he was suddenly pulling Spock roughly by the shoulder away from the console.

“A subspace message,” Emery quickly spoke up. “Captain Yahto of the _Volumnia_ wants us to know that they are en route to our coordinates. He’s been dispatched by Commodore Ralston to investigate the distress call and radio silence. They’re still awaiting a response…”

Spock ignored Joaquin’s scrutinizing stare and looked to Sulu. “ETA of the _Volumnia_?”

Before Spock had even completed the question, Sulu was already accessing his computer. “Estimated time of arrival… approximately 27 hours. It looks like the _Volumnia_ is the nearest ship to us within the quadrant.”

Joaquin glowered at Spock. “If they get here before we escape, and if you _were_ telling the truth about the general orders of your Starfleet, then they will destroy us all! We’ll all die and your captain will be marooned on that God forsaken planet. Tell your command that everything is fine—stop that ship from coming!”

Spock said nothing and expressed nothing. He had already made his decision clear and saw no need to repeat himself. By Jim’s orders, he refused to do anything that would assist Khan and his crew in taking the _Enterprise_. Logic dictated that such a ship was better destroyed than in the wrong hands. Where one would use it for exploration, another would use it for war.

“Why do you want to die?!” Joaquin roared in his face, his desperation manifesting in anger. “You would have a fighting chance if you did as I say!”

Spock finally looked to him. “As Captain Kirk so colloquially put it: _Go climb a tree._ ”

His 20th century origins understood the archaic Earth phrase perfectly.

“It’s a pity,” Joaquin murmured tersely, “that this ship has a machine for a first officer. Had a human been in charge they would have made the merciful choice. Instead you would rather condemn your own people to death for the sake of orders and regulations…”

“Sir!” Lieutenant Emery looked to Spock with some lively color in his face. “I’ve made contact with the shuttle!”

 

* * *

 

“ _It seems we have_ rats _on board._ ”

Carol had sabotaged his repairs and never breathed a syllable of it to Kirk. Obviously she did it before she knew Kirk decided to do Khan any favors, so he couldn’t quite blame her, even if Khan’s discovery of it had the worst timing.

Khan rose suddenly to his feet, shoulders squared and head forward as if ready to pounce. But Kirk was on his feet, too, placing himself firmly in front of Carol for what little it would probably do.

“Back off,” Kirk warned coldly.

The offence was apparent in Khan’s narrowed eyes, his head tilting ever so slightly. “Sabotage is still a tactic of _war_ , captain, and an unforgivable transgression in any ‘honorable’ ceasefire.”

“By repairing the ship you’re still working towards some kind of victory. Can you blame us for not sitting idly?” The improvised defense came easier than Kirk expected.

“I acted alone,” Carol got to her feet to stand tall beside Kirk. She looked brave, but Kirk could practically see her heart pounding out of her chest. “The captain didn’t know.”

Khan’s inhumanly sharp eyes flickered between them. “The last time we called a truce, I helped you save your ship and you had your chief engineer stun me. Forgive me if I am not sympathetic.”

“Come on,” Kirk forced a laugh. “I think we all know you were going to take that ship and kill us all anyway. You’re just pissed off that I predicted it and took the preemptive strike.”

Khan sneered and moved just a fraction of an inch, but it made Kirk pull Carol behind him.

“This is a different time and place, Khan. And after all the interfering you did on my ship, turnabout’s fair play. Let it go.”

The edge of Khan’s mouth curled up slightly. “It’s commendable that you play the protecting knight, captain. After all, Dr. Marcus is so very… _breakable._ ”

Now Khan was just being nasty and it made Kirk’s blood boil. The captain’s fist was stopped in mid swing by both of Carol’s hands around his wrist.

“Jim, don’t!”

“Khan!”

The confrontation had roused Marla from her sleep and she was quickly beside her questionable choice of a man. The mere presence of her made Khan’s stance loosen, but he didn’t break his challenging gaze from Kirk’s.

“How about you just get back to your repairs?” Kirk suggested mockingly.

By the twitch of Khan’s nostril, he clearly didn’t approve of the derisive tone. Getting under Khan’s skin only made Kirk’s chest puff a bit more. Marla’s hand touched Khan’s chest calmingly, reminding Kirk of someone petting a panther. And yet, it seemed to work magic. It was a wonder to watch, and still nerve-racking, as Khan stepped back and lowered himself over the floor circuits once more. Marla, meanwhile, glanced apologetically between Kirk and Carol. She looked like she desperately wanted to say something, but instead, she retreated back to her end of the shuttle as if in accordance to some unspecified segregation.

Khan wasn’t at the panel for long. It was an easy task to reroute damaged circuits (once you knew about them). The panel was slammed back into place with a resounding _clang_ and with one last eyeful of daggers thrown Carol’s way, he stalked over to the cockpit. The distance allowed Kirk to finally take a breath, his eyes rolling back into his head with relief. He needed to play this a little more carefully if he had any hopes of him and Khan seeing things eye to eye.

Khan went directly for the console and turned it on. It lit up beautifully on all of its surrounding screens, all systems rebooting and operative. But there was one sound that had Kirk practically flying across the cabin to stand at Khan’s shoulder.

They were being hailed!

 

 


	31. Chapter 31

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Kirk and Carol would continue in their fruitless attempt to foil Khan’s progress, but the fact that he had wasted hours working on the wrong problem only made a fool of him, and therefore infuriated him. They were only alive and unscathed because of Marla.

It was apparent that Captain Kirk’s intimate conversation with Khan outside of the shuttle was meant to distract him from Carol’s work of sabotage. At least, that was the only way he could see it. Khan had dropped his guard just enough to give them the opportunity for that sleight of hand. Kirk seemed to be content that the situation had been diffused, but the captain and Dr. Marcus were now on even thinner ice than before.

When the shuttle’s controls finally came to life, Khan allowed himself to smile proudly. He never doubted his ability to fix it, but confirmation of his abilities (especially when others were present) was always welcome. The chirps and whirs that indicated everything coming online was music to his ears—but something was out of tune.

_Beeep beeeep beeeep._

They were being hailed by the _Enterprise_.

The sound alerted all three of the other occupants within the shuttlecraft, but none as much as Kirk. The next thing Khan knew, the young captain was huffing and puffing beside him, blue eyes fixed intently on the notification, his fingers twitching to answer it. Even Khan felt his own heart beat a little faster. Whoever was hailing them would determine the course of this battle.

Khan showed no apprehension as he kept himself in front of Kirk to answer the incoming transmission on two-way visual, the small screen on the console fading on and showing the pristine bridge of the _Enterprise._ Joaquin was in the command chair, and Spock was a few feet behind him with an augment on each side of him. It was clear who was in command of that ship, even if the image itself was blurred and partially pixelated by the electromagnetic interference.

It meant that Khan had won.

Even Spock’s usually blank face displayed some glimmer of relief to see his captain alive. How he felt about Khan being there, however, remained to be discerned. Khan was just a tad disappointed that Joaquin wasn’t forced to kill the bothersome Vulcan.

“ _Your Excellency!”_ Joaquin was on his feet respectfully, even though they were miles apart.  His relief was short-lived, as worry distorted his strong features. Clearly he didn’t like the sight of Captain Kirk looking so pink and healthy. “ _Is everything all right, sir?”_

“I am well and in control, Joaquin,” Khan answered impatiently. “What news?”

Joaquin swallowed hard. “ _We’ve been getting messages from a man named Commodore Ralston of Starfleet Command. He’s sent a starship to investigate… We’ve made no reply yet, in hopes of contacting you for orders._ ”

Starfleet was coming and it made Khan’s entire body tense. They were persistent, but they could never match his relentlessness.

“How long until it arrives?”

“ _Less than twenty-seven hours._ ”

“More than sufficient time for my return…” he thought aloud. “If they continue to hail you, let them eat static. When they arrive, we will be poised to destroy them.”

Joaquin gave a confident nod. “ _Yes, My Lord Khan. We only need your instructions on using the ship’s weapons. The ship’s databanks have been wiped by the pointy-eared first officer…_ ”

So Kirk really did have the manuals destroyed. Khan had to resist the temptation to bring a palm to his face for falling into that trap so easily. It left his superior crew inept and helpless. Kirk’s plan was rash and (dare he think it) clever, but not completely irrevocable. Before he could utter another word to his men, a firm hand gripped onto Khan’s bicep, drawing his eyes to it. He recognized the bruised knuckles.

“There’s another way, Khan!” Kirk said sharply.

“You need to learn when you’re beaten,” Khan saw no need to raise his voice—the severity of his syllables seemed enough. “Remove your hand, captain, or I shall be glad to break it.”

“Hear me out,” Kirk spoke quickly, a hint of sweat appearing at his temple. “We don’t have to fight. You and your people can have _this_ planet as your own. The Ceti Alpha star system is largely uncharted and no one would know you were here. You’d have a place to build your empire where no one can bother you anymore. We could make you disappear.”

Khan stared at him. The implications of the suggestion were loud and clear to him and it made the hackles on the back of his neck rise with ignited ire. “How convenient for you if I consent to being marooned in your place…” he seethed. Kirk’s hand still clutched on his arm and Khan merely flexed to demonstrate how impervious his muscles were to such a meager constriction. “It would suit me far better to leave you here than to resign myself and my people to your _gracious_ mercy.”

“I’m offering a compromise!” Kirk finally shouted. “You fight them, _everyone_ dies!”

Khan was fed up with his interfering and was not prepared to open himself up to more trickery. He now realized the mistake of being so candid with Kirk earlier in regards to his fears and regrets. Kirk knew how to play people, it was a proven skill in the young captain, and Khan did not appreciate the game. Kirk then reached around him, and with the push of a button, ended the transmission to the ship.

“We can talk about this!”

Kirk’s words fell on deaf ears as Khan watched the image of his people flicker away so suddenly. That was the last straw. Victory was too near to be stolen away by any inferior being. In the blink of an eye, Khan’s fist met Kirk’s cheekbone—dropping him cold to the floor.

The two women gasped, both momentarily stunned by the sudden strike. Khan was done humoring any pretense of compassion. He was not lying when he told Kirk he would leave them there and claim the _Enterprise_. The unconscious captain’s increasingly ragged gold tunic was gripped at the collar by one hand, hoisting him halfway off the floor as he was dragged towards the shuttle’s closed door like an unruly cat to be thrown out. The door was opened, a damp wind blowing in from outside.

“Stop!” Carol’s voice rang out desperately, throwing her petite frame in front of him in a laughable attempt to block his path. “Please! He’s right, if you destroy that incoming ship it’ll only call down an entire fleet to destroy the _Enterprise_!”

She glanced worriedly to the fresh blood on Kirk’s face, before looking stubbornly back to Khan. Well, apparently the blonde science officer had forgotten she was afraid of him. He would remind her. Kirk earned the warning (such as it was) before the strike, but she had interfered one too many times to receive the same courtesy. His free hand latched around her small throat, pushing her at the same time to let her Starfleet-issue boots dangle in the air above the shuttlecraft’s steps outside. It was satisfying to trap her voice in her windpipe once and for all, her fingers vainly clawing at his hand.

“I have come too far to consent to compromises!” He deliberately stayed his hand from snapping her neck with one squeeze, pinching only enough that her lips began to turn blue. He was enjoying this with no Kirk to save her. “My patience with you has been worn to its thinnest and I can no longer abide by your constant meddling!”

“Let her go!” Marla was suddenly in front of him, her hands joining Carol’s weakening grip to at least loosen his hold. “You’re killing her!”

But the feral ferocity within Khan had full reign and Marla was easily thrown off by a jab of his elbow, knocking her in the shoulder and against the shuttle’s wall. A familiar mania was beginning to curdle his blood as he felt the walls closing in on him.

“If Starfleet intends to kill us all, then death is all the more inviting with such company. Doomsday is near!” He articulated with wicked glee. “Die all, die merrily!”

Carol could only manage a wispy gasp before Khan threw her backward from the shuttle where she hit the ground hard and even rolled from the momentum. She cringed in the wet grass, gasping hoarsely as she painfully sucked in air. Kirk’s limp body, though still alive, was lifted higher and positioned to be thrown out with equal contempt.

This time, Marla screamed at him. “ _Don’t do this!_ He was offering you a way out!”

The desperation in her voice was just enough to make him pause, but it was when he looked at her that he was fastened where he stood. She was clutching her shoulder, her back pressed against the wall as she begged him with her eyes but didn’t dare move towards him. In his ungoverned savagery, he had hurt her and it made her afraid of him. The realization was instant and painful, like a dull blade being buried into his chest. But the dead weight of Kirk hanging from Khan’s hand reminded him of the choice he was making.

 “You expect me to trade freedom for this gilded cage?” his words were tight with forced resolve. Her pleading eyes were making him question himself and he was all the more determined to justify his rage. “To agree to exile here would be to condemn you along with the rest of my people.”

“You call being hunted ‘freedom’? Or charging your people into some kamikaze mission?” There was defiance in her voice, even if it was broken. “Don’t you even remember why you led your people from Earth three-hundred years ago?”

“We were _driven_ out into space…” he growled as the memory fed his antagonism.

“You could have stayed and fought to the death, but you chose to find a new life! Rather than staying to face certain defeat you took a chance. Why not take that chance again by listening to Kirk? If you don’t, he has just as much to lose as you do…”

She had stolen his undivided attention using only the softness of her voice and gentle reason. He knew she could see the quelling rage in him she finally crept forward. Her chestnut eyes never left his and she reached tremulously to take the hand that was wrapped around Carol’s throat only moments ago.

“You said I make you accountable…” she practically whispered. “Be accountable for the lives of your crew _and_ his. You can’t have forgotten that a great ruler knows that sparing lives can sometimes be more important than taking them… You can finally have a home here.”

The impulsive rage that had flared up within him was beginning to dwindle. Perhaps she was what he needed to stop just long enough to let rational thought return. Had it been anyone else, she would have been put in her place and disregarded. Did that make her a strength or a weakness for him? Whatever she was, it was her words alone that struck him with a flicker of something he hadn’t felt in ages: _Hope_.

Maybe Kirk truly was sincere….

He found it difficult to hold her gaze and his eyes fell to her hand as it held his softly but securely. She had sacrificed everything in the attempt to prevent more death on either side, and Khan nearly betrayed her by ensuring it. He knew now that he couldn’t sentence his people to death, no matter how willing they were to die in his name. Equally so, he couldn’t fail Marla, who was foolish enough to idealize him despite her awareness of all that he was capable of.

The truthfulness of all that she said struck him deep, afflicting him with a sense of shame, but most of all, defeat. He would have to forfeit this battle with Kirk for the sake of his family. The only damage would be to his inflated pride, but he already knew he would feel this for the rest of his life.

Slowly, he loosened his grip on the gold material of Kirk’s uniform, lowering the captain to the floor. He ignored the pained grunt that sounded when the bashed captain settled onto the hard ground—Marla was all he could think of as his temper had completely converted into pained humility that only she was privy to see. He bent forward and brought his lips to her hand and lingered there for a moment.

She let him hold her hand to his mouth while the other traced along his cheek. Her touch made him feel small. He could think of no words of contrition or apology, no matter how deeply he felt it. A well-read superior intellect rendered speechless. But there were times when words were superfluous.

Now was the time to act.

He knew he had to retain some of his coarser nature to get them through this since they were not out of danger yet. With a sharp inhale, he pulled away from her and turned to the groaning heap on the floor that was James T. Kirk.

Taking him by the arms, he lifted him up like a human being this time and set him wobbling into a chair. Kirk was coming round, but his swollen and bleeding face was looking a little too heavy for his neck as it bobbed a bit, his brows furrowed.

“Wake up, captain,” Khan spoke sharply.

While he forced patience to wait for Kirk to regain consciousness, Khan glanced towards the shuttle’s open door in time to see Marla running out of it with the med kit in her hand. She was obviously running to the aid of Dr. Marcus. It was lucky for Carol that Marla was there, because Khan was not so concerned for what happened to her when she was thrown to the earth from the height of the shuttle.

Kirk suddenly blinked into bleary wakefulness, the sight of Khan prompting him to reach for a phaser at his hip that wasn’t even there.

“Where’s Carol…?” he demanded.

“You spoke of making us… ‘disappear,” Khan said coldly, looking down his nose at him. “Tell me how it can be done and I may consider it.”

Kirk blinked hard but held his soldierly glare. With some forced coordination, he grabbed onto a nearby rail and pulled himself onto his feet to meet Khan at eye level.

“That’s something I was hoping we could figure out together… If you’re willing.”

The captain had accumulated enough blows to the head that he should have been dead or severely concussed. It was a wonder that was a little impressive, for someone who was obviously substandard in most faculties. However, Kirk’s worth as an adversary was enough to almost make him worth a friend. If fate would allow.

“I propose a renewal of our truce…” Khan, being the authority of this shuttlecraft, saw no fickleness or hypocrisy in the suggestion. “And we will talk.”

 


	32. Chapter 32

_Fascinating_ was a word that Spock often used for the unexpected. However, it was not the first adjective to come to mind when he beheld the sight of Kirk and Khan huddling in close on the viewscreen. After their last melee, where the two leaders barely managed to limp away from each other to figuratively lick their wounds, it seemed likely that one of them would have been dead by now.

Spock could say little while Joaquin dominated the discussion with Khan, whose order came succinctly when he learned that the _USS Volumnia_ was en route.

_When they arrive, we will be poised to destroy them._

Kirk made one last effort to stop Khan, suggesting another way. It was the captain’s responsibility to avoid bloodshed, but Spock had a better view of Khan’s face than Kirk did—and it wasn’t cheerful. It was increasingly agitated and the Vulcan opened his mouth to subtly advise Jim to ease up, when…

_Transmission Terminated._

The contact was cut from the shuttle’s end, and Jim’s wellbeing was back in question. Spock could not help the disquieting comparison to Schrödinger’s Cat…

A commotion of angry bafflement resounded from all of the augments on the bridge when the connection was lost. Having gotten a glimpse of their fearless leader, and so easily losing him again, was clearly frustrating them. They were directionless and nearly helpless without him. To a degree, Spock could sympathize. But unlike Khan, Captain Kirk had the advantage of a more competent crew.

Emery worked diligently to call the shuttle back, but there was no reply, and it was not caused by atmospheric disturbance. Time slowed before the hail finally came in from the shuttle and Emery re-established the two-way visual contact. The image faded on, just as distorted as before from the interference.

Khan once again occupied the foreground of the image, his countenance a little harder than before in a simmering brood. Kirk was just behind him, but there was something different about him. He had a new bleeding bruise just beneath his left eye. His eyes were slightly bleary, as they often were after a beating. (Spock had seen it enough times.) It was fortunate that the damage was not obviously more severe... or fatal.

Then, to Spock’s surprise, Khan moved aside to allow Kirk to lean in. They were now pressing their shoulders together so that they were both taking up an equal amount of space on the viewscreen. Kirk flashed the faintest of smiles directly to Spock, who efficiently suppressed the urge to do the same.

“ _Spock, what’s the ETA of the approaching starship?_ ”

Joaquin looked to Spock, clearly infuriated and confused, but he did not prevent the science officer from speaking.

“Approximately 26.4 hours until the _USS Volumnia_ arrives, captain.”

Kirk and Khan then looked askance to one another, the captain murmuring quietly to him. “ _We gotta act fast, then…_ ”

The use of the word ‘we’ had one of Spock’s eyebrows jump. He knew that look of stratagem on Jim’s face, and this entire scenario was vaguely reminiscent of the last time Kirk had aligned with Khan. It was unsettling, to say the least, for a Vulcan who observed such patterns of behavior.

“Captain?” Spock raised his voice to draw Kirk’s attention back to him.

Kirk looked to him. “C _an you patch me through to the ship-wide channel?_ ”

There were some silent gestures of question and granted permission between Khan and his people, and it was only when Spock was sure no one would shoot that he nodded to Lt. Emery. With a few thrown switches, Emery looked over his shoulder to Kirk on the viewscreen.

“Ship-wide channel open, sir.”

“ _Listen up crew of the_ Enterprise _, this is your captain… This is for the few of you that are still active. A truce has been called between myself and Khan. We’ve laid down a ceasefire, which means that from here on both crews will be required to work peacefully together. Anyone in my crew who violates this ceasefire will be sent to the brig and reprimanded accordingly._ ”

Spock frowned as he listened. Kirk had intended on drawing Khan away so that the augments might be defeated. No one had ever even suggested the possibility of a negotiation. That is, no one except for Marla McGivers. And her judgment was hopelessly clouded by sentimentality. But then, so was Khan’s. Kirk wasn’t wrong about her importance in all of this.

Kirk only needed to glance to Khan to silently communicate that he follow suit and address his own people. Khan showed no reluctance about it and leaned over the console.

“ _This is Khan. Captain Kirk tells the truth. Be assured, my friends, that we are by no means defeated. We have accomplished much in the past through diplomacy, and should it fail, we are never without our skills as warriors to compensate. So do not feel threatened by this impasse. We maintain the advantage, but can gain more with this alliance than without it. Treat the crew of the_ Enterprise _as our allies. I, too, will be enforcing a severe punishment on anyone who breaks this armistice. That is all._ ”

Emery turned off the ship-wide channel.

Spock listened to Khan’s speech to his crew, but his attention had been on Kirk. The captain stared at Khan’s less-than-comforting words. When Khan realized he was being glared at, his profile faced the camera as he frowned at Kirk.

“ _Problem?_ ” he asked sharply.

“ _Nothing, just… No wonder you took up politics._ ”

Khan still frowned at him, apparently not amused by the joke. Spock could see no humor in it either, because that was obviously a hint at the type of oratory that Khan used in his dictatorship nearly three hundred years ago. The rather casual interaction between the two had Spock and Joaquin sharing puzzled glances, the augment seeming quite flustered about it all.

“My Lord Khan…” Joaquin spoke to the viewscreen. “What is it that you wish us to do now?”

“ _I’ve already given my command. What follows is to the discretion of the ship’s captain…_ ”

Khan deferred to Kirk, even if he didn’t relinquish his space on the screen. The way Khan watched Kirk, Spock suspected he had no ulterior motive. No one would say it, and Spock knew the dangers of even suggesting it, but Khan was following Kirk’s lead. This was rather unprecedented. But to see Jim in command again was more of a relief to the Vulcan than he would ever show.

“ _Spock,_ ” Kirk looked directly to him. “ _Since we can’t just beam up, it’ll take a while for us to fix this shuttle and return to the ship. In the meantime, prepare an inventory of all supplies and materials in our stores. I wanna know what we have and how much. Once we’re back on the ship, we’ll go over the details. And continue the radio silence. The longer they think we’re having problems, the more we can get away with._ ”

The entire point of Kirk abducting Marla was to get Khan off the ship and away from his crew. Now he was assisting in bringing him back. Alarms were going off in the Vulcan’s brain.

“Captain, I do not think—”

“ _Trust me, Spock. We have a lot to do before that ship gets here._ ”

“Will you at least explain what it is that you and… Khan… are planning?”

“ _We’re getting every last augment off the_ Enterprise _—and giving them a planet._ ”

Spock wasn’t the only person on the bridge staring in confusion at the viewscreen. But while he was on an exceptionally large screen, Spock suspected that Jim was holding back from a more thorough explanation. Spock knew his answers would come when that shuttle returned, even if it was carrying Khan.

“ _Even though we’re pressed for time,_ ” Kirk continued, “ _I’m sure our guests are starving. Three hundred years is a long time to sleep and we got plenty to eat. Show them how to work the replicators in the mess hall. And have anyone with medical training standby in the sick bay. Dr. Marcus may need some attention…”_ Kirk threw an almost imperceptible glance towards Khan. “ _I’ll contact you when we’re underway. Kirk out._ ”

And just like that the transmission ended, leaving the two rival crews in an awkward silence on the bridge. The need for medical attention clarified that Carol was also still alive, but certainly not without a scratch. Spock stood silently for only a moment. No matter how logically he tried to spin it, this entire thing was more or less irrational. He simply didn’t have enough data to know what exactly Jim hoped to accomplish by ‘giving’ war criminals a planet. Whether or not he understood completely, he trusted Jim enough to follow his orders without question.

“Have I your permission to move freely about the ship now?” Spock spoke with an unreserved cheeky tone to Joaquin, who stood rather stunned at the command chair.

“It seems you do…” he answered reluctantly. “I’ll go along with this ceasefire, but I’ll be watching you.”

“Thank you.” Spock said cordially and moved away from the brawny augments who had previously been assigned to guard him. He approached the communications workstation and leaned around Lt. Emery. He called the communicators of Nyota and Chekov. “This is Commander Spock. You are relieved of your duties in the service tunnels. Please report to the bridge. Spock out.”

He almost hated to call them out of the safety of the tunnels, but there were so few of them left in the crew and he made an educated guess that every last crewmember would be needed for whatever it was that Kirk had in mind for them. There was a chance that Jim’s plan had no intention of ending with the augments owning Ceti Alpha V, and if it did, the conclusion would not have been arrived at lightly.

Nonetheless, Jim inferred that they be courteous hosts to Khan’s people, and as a Vulcan, Spock could not disturb peace once it has been arrived at. He looked blankly to Joaquin, who was frowning and continuously running a hand over his face with agitation.

“If you accompany me to the mess hall, I would be glad to provide instructions for the food replicators. You may then teach your own crew.” No, Spock wasn’t actually ‘glad’ about any of this. But the situation felt decidedly less dangerous.

Joaquin eyed him warily, and after some deliberation, nodded once. “Very well…” he murmured. “Even though I find it difficult trusting you now that you’re suddenly accommodating…”

 “My actions are dictated by loyalty to my captain, nothing more or less. This way, please.”

Spock made his way towards the turbolift, Joaquin and his subordinate Ling following close. In his peripheral, Spock saw Joaquin signal to Kati, who obediently took a guarding stance in the center of the bridge, no doubt to keep an eye on things in his absence. It was understandable, because Spock had given the same command in a nod to Mr. Sulu. The only logical action now would be to maintain peace until Khan and Kirk returned to the _Enterprise._

 

 


	33. Chapter 33

As soon as Kirk cut off the transmission with the Enterprise, he sighed heavily. He saw the look of concern on Spock’s face at the lack of information. He wished he had more to tell him, but the truth was he didn’t even know exactly how they were going to pull this off just yet.

For now, they needed to worry about getting off Ceti Alpha V.

He accessed the shuttle’s now-working computers to get a report on what damage had been sustained by the lightning strike and crash. Khan stood beside him, stone faced as he also studied the data. Kirk, meanwhile, couldn’t help frowning with disappointment as he read it out loud for everyone.

“Impulse is damaged…” he announced to the other three occupants. “The computer suggests it might be the coils, but we won’t know until we look for ourselves…”

“I’ll do it.” Khan didn’t even open it up for debate.

He was already moving for the storage compartment to retrieve the box of engineering tools. His knowledge of modern engineering could have fooled anyone of what century he was born in, and no one in their small group presumed to think they were better suited for the task. With tools in hand, and hardly a glance to anyone, he opened the door and exited out into the cold air. The storm seemed to have finally passed, so Khan left the door open behind him. Kirk watched for a moment before shaking his head.

“He’ll probably disagree, but repairing the nacelles is a two-man job. I’ll go out there and help him…”

He looked to the two women who were unusually quiet, and apparently eager to disregard each other’s existence. They were both a mess. They now had matching bruises on their necks from the same source and it made Kirk’s insides clench with a combination of disgust and anger. One would think a superior intellect would retain some respect for women. And poor Carol was the worst off of them all. More than once she had been thrown into the mud, which left little of her blue uniform to be shown with mud caked on her legs and arms.

“In the meantime…” he tried to keep some authoritative tone. Nothing distracted people from misery like duty. “You both have a knack for computers. Navigation and power control are being reported as faulty. That’ll be your job. There are a few other bugs in the system, but I’ll settle for the bare minimum to get us off the ground as soon as possible.”

“Of course.”

“Yes, captain.”

The women replied in unison. He trusted both of their abilities, since he’d seen first-hand what each one could do to computers. He offered a reassuring smile and a nod. All at once, they turned to get to work, but Kirk lingered for a moment.

“Marla…”

“Yes?”

“Uh… Thanks. It couldn’t have been easy standing up to him. We’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for you. Not to mention you got him to listen.”

She looked surprised to hear words of thanks. It almost seemed as though she didn’t feel she deserved it. Rather than refuting it, she smiled sadly and turned towards the shuttle’s console.

“Marla,” he drew her attention back to him. “I think I already know the answer but… You don’t have to stay here with them if you don’t want to. You don’t have the same obligation and can leave on the Enterprise when the time comes.”

“Thank you, captain, but even if the Federation wouldn’t want to arrest me, I know where I need to be.”

She told him once already that she had nowhere else to go, so he didn’t argue. But he never would have forgiven himself if he didn’t at least give her the option. She seated herself at the co-pilot’s seat where she began to access the computer.

He then headed for the open door, but paused in mid-pivot.

“Oh, and Carol…”

She was already in the pilot’s seat, silently working on the main console, so he leaned against the back of her chair to murmur discreetly at her ear. “We’re on the same team now. Don’t sabotage anything this time.”

She gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement, her eyes drifting downward with apology. He didn’t intend to make her feel guilty for doing exactly what she should have.

“Sorry for all this,” he whispered. “Things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand if I’d had a chance to talk to him before the ship hailed us.”

She finally looked to him, her nose only an inch or two from his. “You mean you actually know how to avoid violence?”

There was a mischievous look in her eye that told him she was teasing. The fact that she could even joke after nearly dying was all the reassurance he needed that she was much tougher than she looked. Not even the slight hoarseness to her usually melodious voice was enough to discourage her, and it gave him some peace of mind that she would be okay during and after all of this.

He contained a smile and deliberately continued to hover in close. “Just get the computer back into ship shape or I’ll reprimand you for insubordination.”

“Promises, promises…” she said under breath, turning her head so that he got a nose full of hair.

It took some effort to remind himself that this was no time for flirting, and Marla was only a couple of feet away. With a clearing of his throat, he regained his captainly posture and nodded to both women.

“Alright, let’s get to work. We’ll try to launch within two hours.” 

The ladies both agreed with curt nods, but gave no verbal replies. He suspected he was about to leave them in an awkward silence. But that was infinitely better than the lingering fear in the back of his mind that Khan could be standing outside the door ready to bury a flux coupler into Kirk’s skull. He went for his discarded jacket first, pulling it on over his shoulders as he descended the shuttle’s steps.

The air outside hit him like a wall of ice. With the rains stopped and the clouds dispersing, the temperature must have dropped twenty degrees since he was last out there. By the diffused light through the clouds near the horizon, it looked as though the sun was rising at last.

He shivered and zipped up his jacket. Following the electric sounds of a drill, he found Khan on one knee, his eyes on the vessel’s tilted nacelle towards the fore that had sunk a bit into the wet earth. He was unscrewing the hull plating in the middle point of the long nacelle where the drive coils were located.

Kirk stood back patiently, fighting the urge to fold his arms against the cold lest Khan saw him shaking like a leaf. Khan himself still wore only the generic, snug, black shirt and hardly seemed to notice the cold, though Kirk could see the slightest indication of reddening on his cheeks and nose. Kirk suspected he wasn’t the only one pretending to be immune to something as trivial as a little arctic wind.

“How do you plan to do it?” Khan suddenly spoke, the drill giving one last shrill whir as it took out the final screw. “Make us disappear?”

He sounded skeptical and Kirk couldn’t blame him. The plan was still a scrambled mess in his head, just waiting to coalesce. “We’ll have to convince them you’re all dead,” Kirk said simply. “I think jettisoning the cryo-tubes might do the trick. If they’re damaged enough, I doubt anyone will go through the effort of sweeping open space to find seventy-three bodies. Convincing them with the ship’s records will be the trickiest part, though… You done with the drill?”

Khan took the tool by its bit and held the handle over his shoulder so that Kirk could take it.

“Besides…” Kirk carried the drill towards the aft end of the nacelle that stuck a few degrees upward from the ground. He located the numbered panel that would open up the plasma injector just above the coils where Khan worked. “...what kind of Starfleet captain would help an enemy of the Federation escape?”

Khan momentarily tore his eyes from the exposed innards of the nacelle to look at Kirk. He smirked, picked up the phaser coil resonator, and craned his long neck to peer in at the components. The tool was activated and chirped cooperatively. 

“The impact of the crash damaged the coils… I will have to manually repair them. What is the condition of the injector?”

“Give me a minute…” Kirk was only halfway through removing the plating that covered it. “While I got you out here, I’d like to ask you something.”

“More prying?” Khan mocked as he preoccupied himself with inspecting the coils.

“No, more like a suggestion.” Kirk said more tersely and removed the last screw. The weight of the thick plating braced against him as he carefully lowered it to the ground with a grunt. Once his hands were free, he paused to look directly at Khan. “Stop bullying Carol. She’s not her father.”

Khan leaned back from the open nacelle to peer up at him from where he kneeled. “Am I bullying her, captain?”

“You’re not very good at playing stupid,” Kirk said flatly. He leaned over to inspect the injector, moving his head to and fro for a better look. “You so much as scratch your nose and she jumps out of her skin, then you damn near kill her—and you get off on the power play. The injector’s fine.”

“I need you to take it offline while I repair the coils,” Khan instructed, offering Kirk the proper tool for the job. He angled his lean body in preparation, taking a coupler in hand and a modulator in the other. “Do it.”

And Kirk did it, disconnecting the plasma injector to prevent any flow into the coils while Khan was elbow deep in them.

“My treatment of Dr. Marcus has little to do with her father,” the explanation was rather apathetic as he focused on the task in front of him. “I treat her as the meddling nuisance that she persistently makes herself. I may in fact have been far too lenient.”

How easy it would be to trigger something in that nacelle and blast Khan with plasma emissions. There were plenty of reasons not to, ethical or otherwise, but the main one was that Khan was actually trusting him not to. But the augment was sure pushing his buttons.

“At least be a little more civil,” Kirk tried to make light of it to avoid further confrontations. He could let go of any attack on himself, he was used to being beat up and manhandled. But Carol wasn’t a soldier, she was a scientist (and a woman) and should not have been targeted as much as she had. “Marla’s been just as much of a nuisance to me and my ship—if not more so—but I still treat her fairly.”

“You punched her.” Khan shot a murderous glare at him.

“That… That doesn’t count.” Kirk stuttered. Double standards were a bitch and he had no excuse. He was never going to live that one down.

“What you’re saying is…” Khan looked back to his work. “…I should be grateful in your fair treatment of my inamorata, just as you would appreciate my fair treatment of yours.”

“Yes.” Kirk agreed. Wait, what did he agree to? “My what?”

Khan gloated for a moment in his broader vocabulary and didn’t even bother to look away from his coil mending. “One’s inamorata is their lady lover.”

The word lover, and Khan’s implication that Carol was Kirk’s, made the captain scoff defensively and shake his head. “No. No she’s not.”

“Clearly you want her to be,” Khan said simply. He retracted his hand to take up the resonator once again. “Almost finished. Keep that injector offline.”

“Just because I care about Dr. Marcus that doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with her—or want to sleep with her.” Even as he said it, he didn’t even convince himself.

“It’s ‘Dr. Marcus’ now, is it?” Khan was smirking again.

Was he making fun of him? What was this, middle school?

“Are you done with those coils or what?” Kirk asked shortly.

“Nearly.”

Kirk clamped his mouth shut now. He was afraid to say anything that Khan could use to mock him with. Khan worked quietly, his almost reptilian eyes keen on their target and his hands working with calculated precision.

“Finished.” Khan stated as he pulled his hands out of the nacelle. “Restore the plasma injector.” Kirk complied.

There was more silence, save for the high-pitched noises of the drill as Khan replaced the hull plating. Once it was secured he handed the drill to Kirk to do the same. It was nowhere near as quick and efficient as Khan when Kirk put everything back together. That plating was a heavy, dense metal and Kirk’s exhausted limbs were not at their strongest. But Khan didn’t seem to take any notice as he gathered up the tools into the kit.

When Khan stood from his kneel on the grass, his movements suddenly became stiff and slow, his hand briefly coming to his lower abdomen. All the bending and working must have caused the phaser wounds to smart. Khan had been so skilled at concealing any pain that Kirk almost forgot he shot him in the first place. But the sight of them when Marla bandaged them, and now as he winced almost imperceptibly, Kirk was reminded that the augment wasn’t invincible.

But the captain couldn’t gloat. Truth be told, he couldn’t feel too sympathetic either, even though Kirk’s body was also aching and stiff from this long ordeal (and being thrown at a wall by Khan and punched more times than he could count). They had both been wounded physically and emotionally enough to the point that it would have been hypocritical to attack Khan’s ego.

Pretending that he didn’t see that sliver of weakness, Kirk put in the last screw of the plating and returned the tool to Khan. The other nacelle needed the same inspection, and probably the same repairs. So, without need to communicate as much, the two men stalked off through the sopping grass around the dipped nose of the shuttle towards the port side.

Light was beginning to touch the field, the wet grass glistening where the sun managed to pierce the clouds. Khan’s steps slowed and he suddenly came to a stop, his head turning as his eyes were directed towards the rolling hills on the horizon. It was as though he was seeing it for the first time, as if they hadn’t been stranded here for over a day. Of course, when he first landed here he didn’t know this could be his new home.

Kirk was sure he was about to speak, to make some sort of comment about being left in this place. Was he apprehensive about it? Or did he see some potential in it? Kirk nearly asked when Khan suddenly began to march again, taking a knee at the other nacelle to begin removing the hull plating.

If only Khan would speak his mind, maybe Kirk could have some assurance that their plan was a good one. Choices were limited and predictability impossible.


	34. Chapter 34

Marla assigned herself to recalibrating the navigation system while Carol took on the task of adjusting the shuttle’s controls. The teamwork involved was impeccable, considering the heavy silence that loomed between them.

She couldn’t get the image out of her head of Khan’s hand around Carol’s throat, ready to kill her in an instant if the fancy struck him. She knew he was capable of it. That was what scared her. He was so vulnerable to that darker side of himself that it overshadowed everything that was good in him. She wanted to apologize for it, even though it would have been absurd to. She felt she had about as much control over Khan as a mouse had over a bull in a china shop.

No matter what Captain Kirk seemed to think, Marla could never presume to think she had any hold over Khan Noonien Singh. In fact, she didn’t want to. She wasn’t drawn to him with any need to control or change him—he had always been the one to control and change her.

“I’d also like to thank you…” Carol suddenly spoke, looking to Marla hesitantly. “Not just for saving me. You could have told him that you saw me pull those circuits, but you didn’t.”

“I’m not in the habit of snitching on people.” Marla answered with some nonchalance, even though she suppressed a smile. It felt good that Carol was talking to her again, but she still felt the weight of guilt.

Another moment of silence passed as the two women worked on the computers. One of the screens blipped with words lit in red _Injector Offline_. It was from the repairs being done on the nacelles by the men, she knew, so it was overlooked for now.

“I really do want to help,” said Carol. “You’ve probably heard what my father did to Khan and his people…”

“Yes…” Marla quietly affirmed. “It’s the reason I helped him in the first place. It’s the reason you saw me arrested that day.”

Carol nodded. She appeared to have pieced that together already. “I can’t forgive Khan for killing my father… but I can’t forgive my father either. So the only thing I can do now is try to undo the damage he caused.” She met Marla’s gaze again. “I want to help make things right, but I’m not so certain this is the right thing to do.”

“What other choice is there?” Marla asked a question that wasn’t rhetorical in the least.

Carol shook her head, having no answer as she looked back to the console. Her hands moved slowly, but productively over the touch screens. “In all honesty, Marla, I’m scared for you.”

Marla paused in her work. “For me?”

“Yes. Leaving you here with them… with _him._ They’re all super humans, you’re not.”

“I’m not afraid,” Marla said with certainty.

_Injector Online._

Carol only glanced at the system’s notification. “You’re sure you don’t want to come with us? We can find a way to keep you from getting arrested. You don’t have to go with him.”

She was genuinely afraid for Marla, as though Marla had no choice but to join the augments in their exile. She knew she had a choice and she made it. Regardless, she was touched that Carol was concerned for her. She reached across the short space between their chairs and placed her hand on Carol’s arm.

“You remember when you once asked me if I ever regretted my career choice?” It seemed so long ago now, but Carol nodded to show that she remembered. “You said you wanted to do something _constructive_ rather than _destructive_ because of your specialization in weapons. I’ve always been in love with history. With Khan, I can _be a part_ of it rather than an observer. I only hope I might be able to do him some good, but more than anything, this is what I need. Even if my choice to stay here with him could get me killed, at least I’ll have a fuller life than I ever got in Starfleet archives, or could have hiding away from the Federation.”

Carol didn’t seem particularly comforted, but she didn’t dispute it. She sighed instead and briefly squeezed Marla’s hand. “I hope you’ll be happy, Marla. I truly do.”

Marla wasn’t naïve enough to expect happiness. But she was human enough to hope for it. She gave Carol one last reassuring smile before returning to her job. She was confident in her choice to be with Khan, but that didn’t mean she didn’t think about what it meant to be marooned on an uncivilized planet with a handful of genetically engineered war criminals. It was terrifying and she tried not to think too much about it for fear that she might develop doubts.

 

* * *

 

 “Did she reject you?”

Khan’s question came out of nowhere and Kirk stopped drilling the hull plating as he looked down where the augment kneeled.

“Wh—Huh?”

Khan was working on the coils, just as he did on the other side, following the same procedure of inspecting them while Kirk worked on getting to the injector.

“Dr. Marcus,” Khan clarified indifferently. “If you’re not an item then either you haven’t approached her or she’s already rejected you. The mutual desire is there for anyone to see.”

Kirk tried to focus on his own work. “I’d say you sound like Spock if the subject wasn’t sex…”

A low chuckle resounded from Khan. “A Vulcan can hardly be expected to discuss any passion that drives humankind. So did she?”

“No she didn’t,” Kirk snapped back with insult. “It’s none of your business anyway.”

“No…” Khan agreed quietly. “But I am rather interested. The daughter of an admiral who had virtually condemned you to death; you the captain, she the science officer, both regarding orders and chain of command as conditional in your adherence to your personal ethical standards; neither of you cowardly, though both obviously tormented by concealed fears. It promises to be an engaging tale.”

Kirk had just dropped the weighty metal plate onto the wet grass when he stopped to stare at Khan’s profile as he rambled on. There was something startling about Khan observing things in such a starry-eyed way. He made it sound like some complex classical novel.

“Marla mentioned that you had a literary side…” Kirk leaned on the nacelle, waiting for Khan’s signal.

“I’d be happy to recommend a list of reading to you.” There was a strong implication that Kirk had never read a book in his life.

“You know, I do read.”

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Khan replied patronizingly. “Turn off the injector.”

“It’s offline… When was the last time you read a book?” The captain couldn’t help challenging him.

Khan’s chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh, but he never lost focus. “Enhanced genetics can provide many things… Time for reading isn’t one of them. I haven’t touched a book or read a line of prose since before my escape from Admiral Marcus…” His usually crisp voice trailed off at the end, the sound of melancholy weighing down the tones. “Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“What, to read?”

“To tell her how you feel.” Multi-colored eyes flickered briefly to him as if punctuating the statement.

Kirk huffed. “And here I thought we changed the subject… Since when were you a guru in relationships?”

“Guru?” Khan repeated flatly, criticizing the choice of word. “Consider it a warning against your own personal fable. You’re not as invincible as the fortuitous events in your life fool you to believe. You cheated death once—thanks to that serum made from my blood—but your luck can’t go on indefinitely. Even should you escape one hazardous situation after another, would she? You of all people should appreciate the maxim of _carpe diem_ , Kirk. We are all of us destined to be dust sooner than we would prefer. Even if your life won’t end any time soon, the _way_ of it is sure to. By helping me you could destroy your career, and if you’re court martialed and discharged, it will be the crossroads in the path you and Dr. Marcus are currently on. Squander it at your own peril. All of it is dependent on your choices, so be careful which ones you make. So long as you are in control of your fate, take it… You can restore the injector now.”

The command at the end of the long sermon took a moment to register and Kirk finally blinked and put the plasma injector back online. He honestly had no idea what to say to all that. He hadn’t put much thought into what him and Carol could have been. Not that he wasn’t aware of the obvious sparks between them, but he was always of the mind that ‘if it happened it happened’. There was never any consideration for a nonexistent tomorrow. If anyone was an authority on life drastically changing from one day to the next, it would be Khan. The man had, after all, fallen asleep in one century and awoken in another.

There was more silence as they reassembled the hull plating and collected the tools. Khan’s hand gripped the nacelle, and with obvious effort, he pulled himself up onto his feet. His breathing was even erratic. Enemy or not, the man was hurting and Kirk was surprisingly worried.

“You okay?” Kirk tried not to sound too concerned. After all, they were working together under protest.

Khan inhaled sharply through his nose as he lifted his head high. He cast one sharp look at Kirk and made no reply as he moved purposefully back to the shuttlecraft’s open door. Either he thought it was a stupid question or he doing a poor job at pretending he was fine.


	35. Chapter 35

115 minutes after Kirk ordered the ceasefire, the _Enterprise_ received word from him that the shuttle was on its way back to the ship. Another 23 minutes later, Spock and Joaquin assembled a few of their own people in the hangar to await their arrival. They lined up parallel to one another, neither too close nor too far. Spock stood at attention as he awaited his captain, Joaquin with his chest puffed and arms folded to receive his leader. They had been tersely polite to one another up until this point (at least Spock was polite), and they were now only tolerant until their respective leaders told them otherwise.

The hangar door droned open, revealing a field of stars and the black vacuum of space that was sealed off by the invisible shield of the ship. The shuttle was smoothly piloted through the gaping entrance, and Spock instantly observed the scars of a crash landing on the nose of it. Both the augments and the _Enterprise_ crew shifted anxiously as they watched the vessel make its landing, the occupants within unseen. There was still a chance that Khan could emerge covered in blood or Kirk with an efficiently used phaser. Spock hoped it would be the latter if it necessarily had to be one of those two.

Once the shuttle touched down on the landing pad, the engines were shut off, the coils sounding damaged but functional as they quieted down. Spock caught Joaquin’s eyes, and with suspicious glances, they approached the craft simultaneously.

The shuttlecraft’s door opened and a familiar gold tunic appeared, albeit a bit torn and dirty with specks of dried blood.

“Spock!” Kirk smiled broadly and hopped down the steps. He took in deep breaths, seeming thoroughly joyed to be back on the ship. A clap was given to Spock’s shoulder. “Good to see you…”

“And you, captain,” Spock said sincerely. That obnoxious smack to his shoulder was surprisingly endearing.

The next person to emerge was Carol Marcus. She moved well for having an obvious head wound and a layer of mud all over her. Though injured, it was not impeding her ambulatory functions.

“It is good to see you alive and well, Dr. Marcus.” Spock addressed her when she approached.

“Thank you, commander,” she gave a weary smile.

Khan descended the steps of the shuttle with a posture so rigid one would think he was being welcomed by a royal committee. The augment took one sweeping glance of the place as he approached his second in command, silvery green eyes taking a moment to burrow into the Vulcan from a distance. Joaquin met him halfway, looking instantly relieved.

“Welcome back, Excellency.”

“Thank you, Joaquin.”

Marla appeared last. She looked the least enthusiastic in her appearance. Her shoulders visibly tightened with what could only have been apprehension as she exited the smaller vessel. But there was no hesitation in her movements as she approached Khan, standing near as she watched him quietly confer with Joaquin.

“Captain…” Spock tore his eyes away from the augments. “The inventory of the ship’s stores has been prepared as per your orders. The _Volumnia_ will be here in 23.5 hours. Can you enlighten me on the details of your plan?”

“Truth is we don’t officially have a plan,” Kirk admitted quietly, looking over at the augments. “Assuming Khan doesn’t change his mind and kill us all, the endgame is to get him and all his people on Ceti Alpha V where they can start their own colony in such a way that the Federation won’t know—and won’t have—any reason to look for them.”

“And you intend to leave them with supplies from our ship to build their colony,” Spock concluded. It was the only explanation for the inventory being needed.

Kirk nodded. “They’d need it more than we would.”

“And Khan’s agreed to these terms?” Spock asked dubiously.

“Not without some convincing…” Kirk murmured, his fingers unconsciously rubbing at the fresh cut under his eye.

The consequences of such a plan were quickly coming together in Spock’s computer-like brain. He didn’t like it. “Captain, have you considered—”

“Carol, you should head over to sick bay,” Kirk spoke over Spock.

“It’s really not necessary, captain,” she argued politely.

“I’d feel better if you had that bump looked at…”

“Yes, captain.” With a dejected sigh, Carol glanced over to the augments then made her way out of the hangar.

“Captain.” Spock looked intently at him.

“Report of what happened while I was off-ship?” Kirk was deliberately keeping control of the subject.

With one calm, deep inhale, Spock would give him what he wanted. “After you beamed down with Marla McGivers, Lieutenant Donalson attempted to destroy the transporter controls and was killed by Khan. Commendations recommended for his bravery. Dr. Marcus succeeded in firing a phaser rifle into the controls, and Khan took her as a hostage to follow you to the planet’s surface. Mr. Leslie and I successfully erased the databanks, thereby preventing Khan’s crew from taking further action. Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov managed to avoid capture in the service tunnels and broadcasted a distress signal. You know the rest concerning the transmissions from Commodore Ralston and the _Volumnia._ ”

The Vulcan spoke rapidly and didn’t allow Kirk to speak before saying what he’s been trying to say all along.

“There are considerable consequences in your plan to help them.”

“We’ll deal with it.” Kirk pivoted on his boot heel to walk away.

“Jim.”

He paused, huffed, and faced Spock with defeat.

“Not only is there a high probability that you will lose your command and irrevocably damage your standing as a starship captain, so long as Khan and his people are alive they pose a threat.”

“Believe me, Spock, I’ve thought about that…” he said with annoyance. “But the threat’s even bigger if we don’t stop fighting with them. We don’t have any safe bet to go with.”

Anxiety was beginning to pull at Spock’s insides and he could not help the frown that expressed it. When the captain moved again, Spock walked beside him as they made their way towards Khan and his small conference. Khan’s eyes fastened on them the moment they moved in his direction and with one hand he motioned silence from Joaquin. He turned to meet Kirk.

“Well, Khan,” Jim said amicably. “We have less than a day to pull this off. I don’t know how much longer the rest of my crew will be sedated by that neuro-gas, but if we can do this before all or most of them are awake, it’ll make things a hell of a lot easier for us. The less people involved in our lie the better… There’s going to be an investigation and I want to at least provide them with plausible deniability…”

“Understandable,” said Khan.

“And,” Kirk added pointedly, “so long as you’re willing to let me have command of my own ship, you and your crew will be treated as guests. There are plenty of available quarters where you can all refresh before we haul ass and get things done. We’ll meet in the briefing room in one hour.”

Spock could see the slightest tightening of Khan’s expression, obviously reluctant with the delay. However, green hues shifted askance to where Marla stood quietly, looking a bit ragged and exhausted. His frown smoothed away in a look that Spock could only identify as sympathy. He then nodded to Kirk.

“One hour then, captain.”

“Good.”

With that, Kirk was making his way for the door that led out of the hangar. And, naturally, Spock was close beside him. Before passing through the door, Spock took one last look over his shoulder towards the augments, who were being left without supervision. Once he was alone with the captain on the turbolift, Jim leaned heavily on the wall, his eyes falling closed as he finally dropped his strong façade.

“Are you all right, captain?”

“Fine, Spock, just… fine…” he sounded suddenly drained.

“Are you certain you can trust them?”

“Nope.”

It felt redundant to keep questioning Kirk about the situation and only receiving affirmations of the instability of it all. Jim’s well-being included.

“As Dr. McCoy is still unconscious, would you like me to accompany you to the med bay?”

Kirk shook his head and forced himself to stand upright again. “No, I’m fine. I’m going to go straight to my quarters to get cleaned up. I want you to go to the bridge and start a sensor sweep of Ceti Alpha V. Gather as much data as you can in the next hour. If we’re going to drop Khan and his crew down there, we should at least let them make an educated decision where.”

Kirk’s courtesy towards them was odd, but Spock had to remember the Vulcan teachings in pacifism that would disapprove of any harsher punishments that popped into his mind. The turbolift stopped and Kirk walked off briskly into the hall that was littered with sleeping crewmembers. Kirk’s steps were cautious, careful not to step on anyone as he failed to look directly at any of them. Jim’s stiff movements were not just exhaustion now, but guilt. But the captain’s plan was logical—the longer they slept through this the better. Spock watched him until the doors hissed shut and the lift carried him to the bridge to carry out his orders.

 

 


	36. Chapter 36

When the shuttle was cleared to land in the hangar of the _Enterprise,_ Khan could feel the collective relief of the other occupants. Kirk hid it well, but the undercurrent of dread finally seemed to leave his countenance as he exchanged a glance with Carol. Even Marla let out an audible sigh.

They were able to finally able to take a breath in this drawn out ordeal, and Khan envied them for it. It was not over yet.

The captain was the first to unbuckle from the co-pilot’s seat and head for the door, fearless of what was on the other side. Carol wasn’t far behind him. As they descended the steps and disappeared from sight, Khan caught the sound of a cheerful greeting for Spock.

Khan moved slowly from his seat, taking in a long, slow breath that he may compose himself before appearing before his own expectant crew. He was feeling depleted in body and mind and dare not show it.

That is, to anyone other than Marla.

She waited for him, watching him keenly, but neither saying a word nor humiliating him by offering a supporting hand. Or perhaps she was finally too afraid of him to show such compassion again. He never meant to hurt her… His insecurities were quickly taking hold with each twinge of pain that his wounds sent through him.

It wasn’t long after Kirk and Carol exited the shuttle that Khan followed suit, and without a word to Marla. He moved as gracefully and nonchalant as his aching body would allow—to be sure that his reappearance to his crew was one of strength and pride. So that they could see he was every bit as strong, confident, and competent as he was when he left them to chase after Kirk.

Even if it was just a façade…

When he crossed the threshold from the shuttle’s interior out into the more open confines of the _Enterprise’s_ hangar, his eyes fell first and foremost to the welcoming cluster of supermen and superwomen in antiquated clothing. It was gratifying to behold the sight of his dear friends once more, some of them smiling at him, others regarding him with the cool respect of any soldier in the presence of their commandant.

He descended from the shuttle gracefully, successfully concealing the fatigue in his limbs. He went directly to Joaquin.

“Welcome back, Excellency.”

“Thank you, Joaquin.”

The other man’s eyes then flickered past Khan, who followed his gaze. Marla was finally emerging from the shuttle, and when Khan looked to his second in command again, he noticed the appearance of a frown. Joaquin was clearly disquieted by her presence, and he wasn’t the only one judging by the stern faces of the others. Khan bristled to see them look at Marla as a liability. No one said a word as she approached to stand near Khan, and he knew they would not be so readily defiant. But the seed of doubt in their leader had been planted.

The sound of a shushed conversation nearby drew Khan’s gaze to where Kirk was conferring quietly with his first officer. As emotionless as the Vulcan’s prided themselves to be, Spock was leaning in peculiarly close to his captain, his stoic eyes occasionally flickering to the augments with reasonable distrust. Now that Kirk was back among his dear companions, Khan felt the gnawing presence of a threat. With a logical enough argument from Spock, Kirk could easily rescind his merciful plan of helping Khan.

“Is it true?” Joaquin’s whispered question drew his attention back. “Are we really going to let them leave us on some unknown planet?”

One sweeping glance of his people told him that they were all asking the question, not just Joaquin.

“Yes, my friend.” He expected the ready protests, but they were quickly silenced when he open his mouth to speak. “We _are_ as you say ‘letting’ them leave us on the planet. It would be far too easy to overtake them and commandeer the ship. But our circumstances continue to change to our disadvantage. Already your unfamiliarity with this century has been used against you, and more of our enemies are on their way. Kirk and his crew have been made to fear us to the degree that the safest choice for them would be to give us what we have wanted all along: a world of our own, to rule as we see fit.”

“With all due respect—” Joaquin was still troubled, but Khan silenced him with one hand when he caught movement in his peripheral.

Kirk and Spock were approaching. Kirk behaved in a friendly enough manner, surprisingly communicating his concerns for his sedated crew and the incomplete plan. But he offered an hour’s rest for everyone. Even offering private quarters for Khan’s people. But an hour seemed like wasted time when there was so much to be done. And yet, the constant thrumming pain in his wounds, and one look to the ragged sight of his beloved Marla made him reconsider. Perhaps an hour would be enough to meet the next challenge more proficiently.

Khan consented, and he could see the gratitude on Marla’s face. It was the least he could do for her when she decided to condemn herself to the wilds of Ceti Alpha V with him. Kirk and Spock marched out of the hangar, and Marla lingered only a moment after.

“Khan,” she said quietly. “I’m going to my room to freshen up while I have the chance.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

But she hesitated, biting her lip as though ready to say more. Or perhaps she was waiting for him to say something? She then turned to leave.

“Marla.” He said sharply to draw her back. “Which room is yours?”

He could see her containing a smile, obviously wanting him to join her. He longed for the same, but had other matters to attend to first.

“Room 2F-109.”

She glanced past Khan to the other augments and her small smile faltered. He knew she could sense their animosity towards her. It pained him that they were instantly so unaccepting of the most remarkable woman Khan had ever known (and he had known a number who were genetically superior). They did not know her yet, and it had to be forgiven. Marla lifted her chin ever so slightly, and in spite of her weary appearance, walked confidently out of the hangar. Khan felt a surge of pride to see her refuse to cower in the face of people who could crush her so easily.

“Sir…” Joaquin began again, most urgently. “How do we know they aren’t planning to leave us vulnerable on the planet so that they can return to kill us all? I can see it in the eyes of that Mr. Spock. He’s done nothing but look for opportunities to overthrow us or put us at some disadvantage.”

“I’d expect you to do the same if you were in his position, Joaquin,” Khan answered without a beat. “Do not doubt that I have sufficient reasons for believing that Captain Kirk will be true to his word. However, it is not enough for absolute trust. Inform the others that we _will_ be carrying out the terms of this truce. But have all eyes open, all arms ready to fight, but not apparently so. Should I see _anything_ to indicate betrayal on Kirk’s part, I will give the word—and we will kill them all.”

Approval glittered in his people’s eyes once again, but he inwardly cringed to give orders that he knew Marla would not approve of. He hoped it would not come down to that.

“But mark me,” he hardened his voice and gaze. “You are to act _only_ on my command. Anyone who takes their own initiative will jeopardize everything and will answer to me.”

“Is it really so dangerous to commandeer this ship for ourselves?” Joaquin’s inquiry was a genuine one, not mutinous, and so Khan was not indignant.

“It is better to disappear than be hunted forever.” His reply was simple, perhaps a bit vague. He was becoming far too distracted by thoughts of rest—and Marla. “Go now. We have an hour’s respite; I suggest you all take full advantage of it.”

Rest was the last thing they wanted, he knew. He suffered from the same restlessness when he was first revived by Admiral Marcus.

“Yes, Lord Khan…” Joaquin didn’t argue. With the signal from Khan, they were all dismissed.

His next course would take him directly to room 2F-109.

 

* * *

 

The door was not locked when he arrived and he let himself into the room. When the door hissed open, he was face to face with Marla, her eyes wide and her breath quickened as though she had just halted in mid-sprint. The look of dread on her face was startling and he stepped quickly into the room to identify the source, causing her to step backward to allow him entrance.

“Is anything the matter?” He looked at every corner, seeing nothing but the standard layout of starship quarters. He moved protectively nearer to her.

“No…” she chuckled nervously. “I was just going to go look for you… I was packing my things and I guess the déjà vu got to me…”

He instantly knew what she was referring to and wondered why he hadn’t felt the same parallels until now. There was another time that they had parted ways in a hangar with promises of a future together. And things ended terribly. He relaxed to realize there was no trouble in the room. On the perfectly made bed nearby was the small packed bag that she abandoned.

“How are your people taking to the new plan?” she asked worriedly.

He blinked heavily. “They don’t dare question me. But they are afraid. It’s to be expected, of course, this is all new to them and they have only me to put their faith in…”

He didn’t intend to let his dwindling confidence to be verbalized. It was impossible to put on that falsely strong front now that he was alone with her, the one person who did not expect perfection or look for weaknesses to exploit. He moved in close to her, studying her face.

“When we’re left on Ceti Alpha V, it will be a struggle just to survive…” His voice was low to articulate the seriousness of it all. “Our war will be with the elements and the wilds of the planet, which we know nothing about…” The more he voiced it, the more the planet became a monster ready to devour any normal human. It would be unkind to the augments, but murderous to Marla. His fingers combed gently into her disheveled, but still brilliantly red hair. “Are you afraid?”

“Yes…” she murmured, her voice shaking. “But in a wonderful way.”

The déjà vu continued as she gave him the very same answer she had once given him to the very same question. A small smile touched her lips, and he could not help mirroring it. It meant that she would still follow him. Guilt pinched at him, and though he hated to speak the words, he forced them out.

“Marla…” her name rolled out in a low wave. “You’re always free to choose. I will not expect you stay with me.”

“Not you too…” she sighed heavily. “Everyone keeps trying to talk me out of it. Khan…”

A full smile blossomed this time and she leaned her soft cheek into his hand. “I’m staying with you. For all the good and the bad that comes with it. And I don’t want to discuss it anymore because I won’t be changing my mind.”

The decisiveness and the devotion that emanated from her filled him with much needed warmth. It even seemed to chase away her own fears to have said it. She never ceased to prove how strong she was. It made her irresistible.

“In that case…” he purred, letting his fingertips trail from her face along the length of her fine neck until they rested just above her left breast. He could feel her heart pounding beneath his touch. “…you won’t be needing this.”

With a sudden jerk, he tore the Starfleet operations badge from her red uniform, making her gasp loudly with surprise. It left a hole in her dress, revealing the black fabric of her undershirt. He held the badge for her to see, and when her eyes fell on it, her cheeks flushed brilliantly.

“I’ve longed to do that since the moment I first saw you…” he confessed quietly, looming over her with satisfaction.

“I wish you had,” she giggled, and the rare sound was musical to his ears.

She took the badge from his hand and tossed it over her shoulder in a demonstration of her divorce from Starfleet once and for all. She was his, unabashedly and unrestrainedly. He could resist her no longer and would not squander his precious time with her. Pulling her against him, he kissed her hard. She hummed into him, her slender arms wrapping around his neck with need and her fingers massaging into his hair. He melted at her touch, swallowing down the taste of her with a parched tongue. Her small form leaned hard against him, and the slight pressure shot like a cannon into the phaser wound on his abdomen. The sudden pain broke the kiss and he flinched, jerking him back just an inch or two.

“Oh…” she breathed with remorse. “I’m sorry, I forgot… We should get you some meds…”

She brushed past him towards the door, but he seized her hand in a moment of desperation.

 “No!” He drew her back to him, pulling her into an embrace tight enough to reignite the pain in both the wound of his shoulder and hip. “Stay… You’re worth any pain…”

Once again he was pleading for her to stay like some petty child. Her hands pressed gently to his back as she returned the embrace, but he could feel her cautiousness. She acted as though he was suddenly made of cracked glass, and for once he wasn’t offended.

“At least let me change the bandages…” she said softly into his chest. “And get you into a shower.”

The implication that he smelled was accompanied by a smile on her face as she looked up at him. Her fingers curled into the bottom hem of his shirt, gently peeling it off and away from the bandages it concealed. He raised his arms compliantly, watching the beautiful look of nurture and desire intensify in her chestnut eyes as they fell on the ugly bandages. What would normally embarrass him as marks of weakness evoked admiration from her. The shirt dropped from her fingers to the floor and she took his hand to lead him to the small bathroom of her quarters. He no longer cared about his injuries. He needed her, he was sure he would drown if he didn’t have her while opportunity allowed.

The searing pain of the phaser wounds was replaced by the pain of her mere proximity. She turned her back to him only for a second to turn on the shower, and he pulled her to him, her spine meeting his bare chest as he brought his lips hungrily to the exposed flesh of her neck. She was suddenly heavier in his arms, her legs weakening under her.

The wounds were raw. But to have them react to the pressure of her body against his—something he had needed for well over a year—made him feel euphorically alive from the pleasure and pain. She turned in his embrace to bring her chest to his, one of her hands splaying across the bandage where it clung at his pelvic line. There was little time afforded to them to savor each other, to rediscover the wonders of each other’s bodies. So tender hands were increasingly more greedy, frantically pulling away all clothes.

Without the hindrance of uniforms, he was upon her, corralling her into the steaming cloud of the shower. Flesh met flesh, the surface hotter than the water that trickled down along their entwined bodies. All the unresolved anger between them and unexpressed love exploded in that moment of deprived clawing and almost pained groans. No amount of water could make her slender body too slippery for his sure grip as he took hold of her, her arms and legs coiling around him greedily.

Marla didn’t fight for dominance—rather she let him have it by default. Since she had revived him, he had been struggling for control of anything, constantly having it torn away from him. There was no restraint from him as he clutched her in white hot desperation, devouring her mouth, neck, and chest, every soft moan from her provoking a vibrating groan from him.

For even just this hour they could escape the struggles they had endured and were doomed to continue together. In this brief moment, everything was as it should be.

 

 


	37. Chapter 37

After a heavenly hot shower, a shave, a fresh uniform, and a meal that would have Bones demand an instant physical, Kirk was ready to get to the finish line of their current predicament. It was a rare thing to have a respite in the middle of a conflict, and he wasn’t about to squander it. If he was going to follow through with his promise to Khan, he needed to have his judgment functioning at 100%.

He gave everyone an hour to meet in the briefing room, but he only used half of that time for himself. There was a lot he needed to do as soon as possible, including restoring one of his necessary wingmen in all his disgruntled glory: Bones. There was only one conscious crewmember who seemed to have enough training in biology to assist the captain, and that was Carol Marcus.

Her focus was applied physics, but he saw in her file that she had studied biology, and she had shadowed McCoy often enough in his duties to be the perfect help for Kirk right now. After everything she had been through, he was reluctant to call on her. But, the voice of command in mind told him that they could all rest when this was over. He paged her personal quarters to order her to the med bay, and he made sure he was the first to arrive.

Just like the rest of the ship, it was strewn with sleepers. Nurses lay awkwardly on the floor, the patients who had come in for sprained wrists or bumped heads the most fortunate in their beds. Poor Bones… They were all so vulnerable—their lives depended on their captain. If Khan succeeded in blowing them all to kingdom come, Kirk’s crew would have perished without any warning. It wasn’t unlike the predicament Khan’s crew had once been in—and Kirk’s situation now had once been Khan’s.

This strange epiphany as he looked to the slumped figure of McCoy on his desk gave Kirk sudden confidence in his decision to help the augments. It was the type of mercy that he needed, too.

“Captain,” Carol’s voice tore his attention from the sleeping medical officer. “You wanted to see me?”

She looked infinitely better than she had when he last saw her, her skin a cleanly white and her dress as blue as her eyes. All the mud had been washed away without a trace, making the bruises on her throat and limbs all the more evident.

“Yeah…” He squared his shoulders. “I don’t know how long we have until the crew starts waking up on their own so I want to revive Dr. McCoy first. I’ll need him to take care of them while I take care of Khan and his people. Will he be functional within a reasonable amount of time?”

She glanced to McCoy, a look of pity touching her gaze before she shrugged lightly. “That depends entirely on your definition of a ‘reasonable amount of time’.”

“The next thirty minutes to an hour. I’m not going to count on having twenty hours before the _Volumnia_ gets here.”

She moved around Kirk, taking up a nearby tricorder along the way. With a flick of her finger, the device was turned on, ringing as she used it to scan McCoy. “He’s only under heavy sedation. With the right hypo I can wake him up and he’ll be right as rain. Or at least his usual raincloud.”

“Alright then, do it.” He wasn’t going to dawdle any longer.

Discarding the tricorder, she moved to a shelf to pick out the necessary cartridge of medicine for counteracting the sedative. Clicking it into the hypospray, she pressed it to McCoy’s shoulder. It hissed as it was injected and she immediately freed her hands to place them comfortingly on his shoulders. She watched him carefully, waited a moment, then spoke clearly.

“Dr. McCoy?”

He groaned and began to squirm as the drug coursed quickly through him. Slowly and stiffly he lifted his head. His eyes remained pinched shut as he brought a hand to his head.

“Ugh… What the hell happened…?”

He sounded thoroughly annoyed and it made Kirk smile to hear it. “Neuro-gas.”

The doctor’s eyes opened at the sound of the captain’s voice and he looked at him bewilderedly. “Don’t tell me it’s the stuff that’s supposed to be used on intruders…”

“It’s the stuff that’s supposed to be used on intruders,” Kirk confirmed.

McCoy blinked, his hand moving from his undoubtedly throbbing head to rub tiredly at his stiff neck. “Does that mean you finally got Khan?”

“Yeah, about that…” Kirk cleared his throat. “We’re not out of the woods yet, Bones. I’m going to leave you in Dr. Marcus’s good hands, and she’ll fill you in on everything…”

Kirk was already taking backward steps towards the door. He wasn’t afraid of McCoy, per se, he simply didn’t have the time for his grumblings. “Carol, I want you to stay with McCoy and help out anyone who wakes up and needs medical attention.”

Carol was staring at him accusingly.

“Problem?”

“No,” she tried to smooth away her frown. “I’m glad to assist Dr. McCoy, but… I was hoping to help you with Khan’s people.”

“What about Khan’s people?” Bones blinked groggily between then, obviously not liking the sound of things.

Kirk deliberately ignored him. “This _is_ helping me, Carol. The less I have to worry about my own crew, the more I can worry about Khan’s. Besides, I didn’t think you wanted to be around him any longer than necessary.”

“You mean Khan’s still _alive_?” McCoy was just a few decibels away from yelling now. “Who in the hell activated the damn neuro-gas?”

“Maybe you should get Bones caught up…” Kirk nodded to the doctor but was looking at Carol. “I’ll be in the briefing room if you need me.”

Only when Carol gave an acknowledging nod did Kirk finally make his escape from sick bay. He really didn’t want to be present when McCoy found out what was going on.

It was still early and Kirk wanted to be the first to arrive in the briefing room. But when the doors wheezed open, he saw two bodies already occupying the place. Seated at the end of the table, conversing quietly, were Spock and Uhura. When they saw Kirk enter, Spock was the first to lean back to create some professional distance between them. Any other woman might have been offended, but Nyota understood the Vulcan in a way that few others could.

“Didn’t I give you something to do?” Kirk eyed his first officer as he approached a nearby vacant chair.

“The sensors are on automatic sweep of the planet. I have been monitoring their progress periodically.”

There was something in the middle of the conference table that immediately caught Kirk’s eye, and momentarily distracted him from Spock’s voice. _Coffee_. Someone had the foresight and merciful inclination to provide coffee. Before he seated himself, he was already reaching for the carafe and one of the provided cups.

“Captain,” Uhura said slowly, worriedly. “Are you sure about all this?”

Obviously she and Spock had been debating what’s to be done about Khan. Kirk sighed into his steaming cup of java. “Never mind, lieutenant…”

“You don’t even have any security posted on him right now,” she pointed out. “You’ve given his crew the freedom of the ship.”

“Can’t give them what they already had,” Kirk smiled sardonically, taking another sip.

“The lieutenant makes a very valid point,” said Spock. “You may want to reconsider the degree of trust you place in the augments.”

“What if Khan’s instructing them on how to control the ship this very moment?” Uhura reminded him of the enemy’s original intention.

Their collective tone of voice was like ants under Kirk’s skin. He was making the best decision he could and they were second guessing him. He knew they were right to, and that was what made it all the more grating. He wanted to appeal to them, as his friends, to say _You’re right, you guys… this could be a huge mistake and it scares the hell out of me._ That wasn’t what they needed to hear. No matter how close they were personally, they needed a captain. They needed someone who at least seemed as though he knew what he was doing.

He took one long pull of the coffee, gulping down the bitter drink with a wince. He set the cup down and looked steadily between them.

“The day I met you, Uhura, was the same day that I met Pike. He was trying to convince me to enlist. I think he could see that I needed to find some kind of worth in the universe. I didn’t have any, and at the time I didn’t think I could find any. I was just a guy in Riverside, Iowa who had a father he could never live up to.” He was talking to them both now. “But when Pike was telling me about Starfleet, he didn’t describe it in terms of a career or some kind of rehabilitation program for delinquents like me. He called it a _peacekeeping armada_. He was trying to make me realize that there was more than just my sad little life. In the short time that we three have served together, we’ve seen what happens when we decide to go to war. It always costs more than we’re willing to give. Starfleet represents the Federation, and what Starfleet needs most right now is someone who holds onto those peacekeeping ideals—especially now that Pike is gone.

“Our original orders here are to transport seventy-three augments to a research facility to be test subjects. Their rights as living beings—augmented or not—were completely ignored. Seventy-two people were made guilty by their association with Khan. But after dealing with Admiral Marcus, I don’t see how Starfleet can hold itself up as being more righteous than a tyrant from three hundred years ago. There’s a risk in trusting Khan, of course there is. We know what he’s capable of. But, if I’m right that he’s willing to go through with this plan, then he’s putting just as much trust in us as we are in him If not more so. We could have an armada to back us up if need be, he doesn’t. I don’t know if Pike would agree with me on this or not. I’m breaking a laundry list of regulations and completely violating my orders to deliver them to Regula I. But as the captain of this vessel, it’s within my power to see to it that the most moral course of action is taken. In this case, one that saves lives and actually offers a life to Khan and his people. It’s that kind of second chance that Pike gave to me and if anyone has ever given me an example worth following, it’s him. If you think I’m completely crazy—if you’re _convinced_ that my decision will cause more harm than good—then say the word and I’ll step down and give Spock the command.”

Uhura’s dark eyes had been fixed on Kirk while he spoke, absorbing every word with empathy and what he thought might have been respect. She was a strong woman, but also had a compassionate side that often revealed itself. When Kirk addressed his first officer, she turned her gaze to Spock anxiously. Spock, meanwhile, was as expressive as a stone statue. But Kirk was sure he saw a glimmer of emotion in there when it was suggested that he take command.

“Captain…” Spock began calmly after a tense pause. “It would be unwise of me to presume that I would be better qualified to make command decisions in a situation where humanistic irrationality is desperately needed over protocol and regulation. As your first officer and your friend, I will assist you every step of the way.”

“Me too,” Uhura chimed in with a smile.

They were still concerned about it all. It would have been strange if they weren’t. But their expressed faith in him made his throat tighten a bit. Come what may, he was going to see this through, and it wouldn’t have to be alone. To hide any potential sentimental display in front of Spock, he distracted himself with pouring more hot coffee.

The intercom suddenly whistled. “ _Dr. McCoy to Captain Kirk._ ”

Bones sounded remarkably calm, so Kirk didn’t hesitate in reaching for the button to respond. McCoy’s face appeared on the screen, the med bay’s dim interior behind him.

“What’s up, Bones?”

“ _Captain, I want you to report to sick bay immediately to get your head examined…”_ He suddenly leaned forward for emphasis. _“…because you’ve obviously lost part or all of your damn mind!_ ”

Spock’s singular brow popped up on his head and he looked to Kirk. Kirk forgot to mention that Bones was awake now. “It seems you’ve made the doctor aware of your plans for Khan.”

“ _You bet your Vulcan ass I’m aware!_ ”

“Save it, Bones…” Kirk rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had only just won Spock and Uhura onto his team, he simply didn’t have the energy left to persuade the cantankerous doctor.

“ _Jim_ —”

“Doctor, you have been unconscious for the past nineteen hours. You neither have a reliable amount of knowledge in the present situation nor possess the required inherent objectivity to make any sound arguments against the captain’s command decision. You have no doubt been given your own orders to follow that require your singular abilities as a doctor and nothing more.”

Kirk stared at Spock who essentially just told Bones to shut up and do his job. As much as Kirk loved his Southern friend, he was thankful for Spock’s defense. Though he did feel a bit guilty when he saw the bug-eyed, flustered look on McCoy’s face.

“Sorry, Bones…” Kirk felt compelled to say. “But we’ll argue about this when it’s all over. Everything’ll be alright.”

“ _When it’s all over…_ ” The doctor quirked an eyebrow to match Spock’s. “ _You mean when it’s too late… I’ll be in the med bay if anyone needs me. McCoy out._ ”

The screen flicked off, but there was a lingering air of grumpy.

The timing could not have been more perfect, for only mere seconds later, the door of the briefing room swooshed open to admit Khan with Marla and Joaquin at his side.

 

 


	38. Chapter 38

Khan was surprised to find that Kirk wasn’t seated at the head of the conference table, like most any captain would do on his own ship in some display of power and control. Instead, he sat on one side of the table to Spock’s right, Lt. Uhura on the Vulcan’s left. The opposite side of the table was left for Khan and his people. Equal ground was maintained and the truce was being honored thus far.

Joaquin was the only one of his crew that he brought to the briefing room along with Marla, who wore her own civilian clothes. She wasn’t dressed to impress anyone, her attire purely practical for the circumstances of comfortable trousers, boots up to her calves, and a loose jacket over v-necked top. Khan was unused to seeing her in anything that wasn’t Starfleet issue, and with her hair freed from any regulation style, he found this new look more befitting to her true nature than color-coded uniforms.

Her presence at this meeting was not necessarily for his own sentimental reasons. It was because she was knowledgeable of both sides of this conflict and understood the augments more thoroughly than any other Starfleet member could ever hope to. Kirk understood Khan on a command level, but could not know where and when the ex-prince’s soul was born.

Kirk outstretched an inviting hand to the unoccupied side of the table. He looked much more competent after the rest, having gotten a fresh shave and uniform. Khan, too, had cleaned up well, considering the excursion that his shower had become with Marla. And yet, it left him more revitalized than any sleep or meditation.

Khan took his seat directly across from the captain. Joaquin sat on Khan’s left, Marla on his right. Sitting proudly, Khan propped one elbow on the table to regard Kirk, whom he expected to be the facilitator of this session, even if Khan designated himself to have the final decision in all matters.

“Here’s where we stand,” Kirk began, speaking to everyone. “We have about twenty hours until the _Volumnia_ arrives. We have a fully stocked store of supplies that were meant to last a crew of a few hundred over the course of five years in deep space. We also have a continuing flow of data coming in through our sensors of Ceti Alpha V. I’m willing to give you enough provisions to last the seventy-four of you twenty to one hundred years, including food, power cells, tricorders, survival materials, and medical supplies. What I _won’t_ give you are communicators or any other devices that could draw any ships to your planet, either by accident or your own design…”

He paused to eye Khan with scrutiny. Khan suppressed a smirk at Kirk’s forethought and gave one, low nod of concession. The intention was, after all, to find a permanent residence for the exiled augments. However, there was one more thing he wanted addressed.

“And weapons?”

Kirk looked at him steadily, completely unsurprised with the inquiry and obviously having a ready answer.

“One phaser pistol,” he said with finality. “And three charges for it. That will be enough for you to use it _productively_ , I hope.”

A single phaser divided between 74 people. It was a given that Khan, the leader, would take possession of such a weapon. But the insult was still there. Marooned sailors in the days of yore were always given one pistol with one bullet, and this didn’t feel much different.

“Is this a friendly negotiation or a tribunal for exile?”

Kirk’s brows rose with theatrical surprise. “You mean a race of superior men and women _need_ to rely on advanced weaponry? More primitive humans have survived on less…”

“The Botany Bay penal colony in Earth’s eighteenth century, for example,” Spock added crisply.

Confusion suddenly glazed over the captain’s eyes at what must have seemed a random reference and he looked to the Vulcan questioningly.

“The _SS Botany Bay,_ ” Khan explained, “was the name of our ship when we left Earth.” His eyes flickered to Spock coldly, to let him know he didn’t appreciate the cheeky allusion. “One pistol will be enough,” he concluded the matter himself.

“Good,” Kirk nodded in agreement. “Now I think we should discuss just how we’ll make you vanish…” He linked his fingers together atop the table, his blue eyes narrowed with deep consideration. “A lot of it’ll depend on my report. What I put down will probably determine how deep of an investigation is made into the ship’s records. Fortunately, we have a lot of wiggle room. First of all, Marla’s first sabotage of the computers could account for a lot of documented discrepancies…” He looked to her, his expression softening just slightly. “The best way to make this work is if we report truthfully on everything you’ve done. Sabotaging a starship is bad enough, but you also forged your way onboard impersonating a member of Starfleet, were an accomplice to a prisoner of the Federation, and were indirectly responsible for most of my crew’s injuries.”

Khan watched her in his peripheral as the charges were listed against her. She didn’t so much as shrink or bow her head with shame, but he could sense the weight it put on her. But then, she smiled.

“I don’t mind being the scapegoat, captain. Especially if it can be benefit everyone else.”

Not a teardrop or a second thought. An excellent woman… No, a _superior_ woman.

“My report’s going to be honest about it, then.” Kirk continued. “I’m going to record what you did, how you did it, and what it caused. Up until the point when we had you in the brig, that is. From what I understand, Spock erased the technical data off the ship’s computers, but the security footage is still intact. That’ll be the main source for any investigation if it gets that far. It’ll show you, Khan, and your newly revived crew in the cargo area. With all the tampering that’s been done to the ship’s systems in the past day or two, I don’t think anyone will notice if we add our own touches...”

Khan gave his undivided attention. He was more and more intrigued with Kirk’s mind and how easy it was for him to cheat the system to cover up a crime. The man was a master at improvisation.

“After a drawn-out manhunt throughout the ship, and the revival of the other seventy-two augments, I was forced to make a command decision,” Kirk described the hypothetical scenario convincingly. “With my own crew incapacitated by the neuro-gas, and unable to wait for help to arrive, I had no choice but to override the system and jettison Khan and his crew into space to prevent a takeover and any potential threat that would be posed to Federation space by their control of a starship. Unfortunately, Marla McGivers, who had allied with the augments, was also present in the cargo bay and perished as well. Along with a large percentage of our supplies and materials. There won’t be any mention of Ceti Alpha V, either. Once you and your people are safely on the planet, the _Enterprise_ will be as far away as possible to wait for the _Volumnia_ to find us. You can trust that all the details in the ship’s records that need to be added or removed can be done by Mr. Spock and Dr. Marcus.”

It was methodical. It was clean. It was conniving. Had he not witnessed the true events, Khan may have believed the elaborate tale. Khan stared for a moment and finally let the edge of his mouth pull into the subtlest smile.

“You are extraordinarily thorough, captain.” Khan wasn’t ashamed to let his sincerity vocalize. “I am quite impressed.”

Some pride beamed on Kirk’s face, even as he tried to hide it. “I have assets to protect, too,” he replied dismissively. “Now, the sensor data of the planet…” He glanced to Spock.

The cool first officer interpreted the silent command and reached a long arm to turn on the computer. The information poured across the large screen for all to see, its data endlessly updating and changing enough for a picture to be drawn of Ceti Alpha V.

 “The planet is largely populated with indigenous species of plant and animal,” the words rolled robotically off the Vulcan’s tongue. “According to the minimal sensor data we have amassed so far, there are no intellectually advanced species, humanoid or otherwise. On the right of the screen are shown the most habitable biomes for humans on the planet, each ideal for all necessary resources for optimal survival and prosperity…”

The more information that Khan received of his new home, the less daunting it became. The data combined with the images of Ceti Alpha V’s lush surface from orbit filled him with hope and ambition. This could easily be turned into Paradise for his war-weary family.


	39. Chapter 39

Once the plan had been laid out, and mutual cooperation of both parties was assured, everything unfolded with remarkable ease. Khan’s people, though wary of everything, obeyed their leader’s commands. It took two hours of reviewing the sensor data before Khan settled on a location to call home. However, devoting 120 minutes to studying an entire planet and all of its varying ecosystems was an inefficient basis for any informed decision, Spock thought.

Unfortunately, time was not something they had in abundance. Reports were pouring in of the _Enterprise_ crew awakening by the dozens. Dr. McCoy, with the assistance of Dr. Marcus, worked hard to take care of the confused personnel that hobbled into sick bay with sore bodies or imprints of whatever surface they had fallen asleep on. The mass disorientation, however, was utilized to the advantage of both Kirk and Khan.

The handful of the _Enterprise_ crew that had not been gassed, and who were privy to what was happening, worked side by side with the augments to load the allotted supplies onto the shuttlecrafts that deployed regularly to and from the ship. The process had become so busy that neither party had much opportunity for continued conflict, though the icy atmosphere between them never seemed to cease.

Spock was assigned by Captain Kirk to take the first shuttlecraft down to the planet to observe all incoming supplies and people. Naturally, Joaquin was also assigned by Khan to oversee things from that end. He was quite determined to keep the terms balanced if they could not be in his favor. Khan himself insisted on remaining on the _Enterprise_ to safeguard that the promised supplies were being loaded onto the shuttlecrafts. So long as Khan remained on the ship, Kirk elected to remain there, too. Meanwhile, Nyota returned to her station on the bridge to monitor the incoming transmissions and to periodically report on the status of the _USS Volumnia_.

The coordinates of their new home were very nearly on the opposite side of the planet from the stormy grassland where Kirk had taken Marla. Spock witnessed as each shuttlecraft landed and Khan’s people emerged, their faces lighting up when they would finally behold the selected terrain.

The warm mid-day sun shone bright with hardly a speck of clouds visible in the blue sky, which had a touch of grey towards its horizon. It was open landscape in one direction and a towering blue mountain range in the other, layered with a dense forest, its highest peak tipped with snow. A wide river flowed through the land, arguably the most important resource for any colony that hopes to prosper.

According to the compiled inventory on his PADD, they were nearly finished with the transportation of the supplies. The entire process had taken approximately 4.5 hours. There were two more shuttles expected to arrive with the remaining cargo and crew. Spock focused on the task at hand and not at the incessant nagging feeling in the back of his mind as logic worked against logic. Jim’s reasoning behind helping Khan and his people was relatively solid, even if it was steeped in sentiment. Jim’s choice to accept the consequences—whatever they may be—was another matter entirely. It all posed a very complex philosophical dilemma that Spock knew he would be deliberating for years to come.

During the receiving of the shuttles and their shipments, Spock occasionally overheard Joaquin talking to groups of his comrades a few at a time. He was recounting to them what had unfolded in the briefing room between Khan and Kirk, reassuring them that their leader hadn’t actually lost his mind. The more he spoke to them, and the more supplies that were delivered to them as promised, the more hopeful and optimistic the exiles seemed to be.

The communicator at his belt chirped and he lowered the PADD to answer it. “Spock here.”

“ _Spock_ ,” Jim’s cheerful tone was a pleasant to hear. “ _I’m flying down on the last shuttle with Khan and Marla. Regroup all personnel and begin sending them back to the ship._ ”

“Acknowledged. What is the status of the awakening crew?”

“ _At least half of them are conscious as of ten minutes ago, but everyone’s likely to be awake in the next twenty, according to Dr. Marcus. McCoy is too busy to yell at anyone, and anyone who’s well enough has been assigned to assist in the recovery of the sleeping crewmembers._ _I’ll fill you in on the rest after we pick you up._ ”

“Yes, Captain…” Spock wanted to know about the _Volumnia_ , but he would have to delay any satisfaction of his curiosity.

“ _We’ll be there shortly. Kirk out._ ”

 

* * *

 

The final shuttle that was deployed for Ceti Alpha V was one of the larger passenger vessels, the rows of seats all facing the fore and accommodating for more bodies than cargo. Sulu volunteered to be the pilot, the rest of the seats empty so as to be filled by some of the returning crew, including Spock.

Before the final shuttle deployed carrying Khan, Marla, and Kirk, Carol arrived at the last moment requesting to join the send-off. Kirk couldn’t say no –being glad to have her— but he was more than a little stunned that she would willingly climb into another metal box with Khan.

Carol sat beside Kirk in the front row on the starboard side, Khan and Marla seated on the port side. The voyage began with a heavy, pensive silence. Kirk occasionally glanced in his peripheral to see Marla’s hand gripping Khan’s so tightly that her knuckles were white. He didn’t blame her for being afraid, and amazingly Khan didn’t seem to either. This may be a resolution to the recent battle between Kirk and Khan, but it was far from being an ending. The uncertainty of the future had the young captain’s thoughts returning to the blonde science officer who sat close behind him. Khan called this turn of events a crossroad that could take them in different directions.

_Carpe diem._

He took a breath to speak to Carol, when his attention was diverted to Khan suddenly rising from his seat. Carol kept a stiff upper lip as the augment approached. It was then that Kirk noticed the PADD in his hand, the one he had been carrying during the shipping for the past few hours.

“I’ve compiled a list for you, captain…” He held out the PADD for Kirk to take.

“A list?” Kirk stared at him quizzically, mindlessly taking the device.

“Of reading. I think you’ll find my recommendations relevant if not entertaining.”

Kirk tried not to laugh. “Lemme guess… Machiavelli and Sun Tzu’s _Art of War_?”

A smirk pulled at the edge of Khan’s mouth that seemed like approval. “Among others, I assure you. I was sure to select sensationalist literature that would be more appetizing to your personal taste… And men like us must study more than just war.”

His green eyes flickered towards Carol who sat quietly. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and rose from her seat, keeping a good distance from where Khan loomed.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to say a proper goodbye to Marla…”

Khan acknowledged her with a single nod, as if giving his permission. Carol walked away and seated herself beside Marla, where the women immediately began to speak quietly and with friendly smiles. Khan, meanwhile, remained standing. He only watched the women for a moment before looking back down at Kirk. He didn’t like the augment hovering over him like that, but now was not the time to pick another fight.

“Thanks,” Kirk broke the momentary silence, gesturing to the PADD.

“It’s merely a gesture of gratitude. I had nothing, now I have a planet of my own to tame and call home. You’ve given me a world, the least I can do is expand yours.”

He was sincere. So sincere that Kirk could see something almost imperceptible glisten in the corner of his eye. The young captain didn’t know how to react to that much appreciation from a man who would was not afraid to commit genocide to win that same planet. It was seeing that look in Khan’s eye that Kirk knew he was doing the right thing—come what may.

Kirk set the PADD aside and held out his hand with a smile. There was no hesitation as Khan took it. Unlike their resentful handshake for their truce, this was one of respect and understanding. It was a release rather than a bond as they finally let go of their antagonism.

“ _We’re entering the planet’s atmosphere,_ ” Sulu’s voice came over the intercom. “ _Might want to buckle up._ ”

 

* * *

 

Marla’s fear of their voluntary exile was momentarily forgotten as she and Carol witnessed the joined hands of Kirk and Khan. It was hard to believe that those two men had been so intent on destroying each other. But then, perhaps it wasn’t so out of the blue. There had always been a trace of respect for Kirk in every word that Khan spoke about him, and Kirk himself had a dose of wisdom and compassion somewhere among his bigotry and arrogance. It was unusual, but it left her feeling overjoyed.

Things returned to a familiar tense state, however, as they entered the atmosphere. They would soon be joining the rest of Khan’s people, and she could visibly see Khan’s features hardening once again, his entire demeanor squaring into the physique of an emperor. It was why he chose to make his farewell with Captain Kirk now— he did not want his family to see him acting indebted to their enemy. These were social politics that she knew she would be seeing a lot of from now on. But she was one of the few who had the privilege of seeing both sides of him.

Sulu landed the shuttle with marvelous skill and Kirk took the lead out of the vessel. Marla was terrified, but eager to see their new home and she moved ahead of Khan to exit behind the captain. What she saw took her breath away. This wasn’t the wet, grassy field they had been stranded on before. This looked more like an oil painting whose colors were too many and too bright to seem real. And there was life—not just plants—but enormous birds in the sky and indistinguishable herds of unknown creatures grazing in the distance. The historian in her was enthralled to think that this must have been how the settlers felt when they first beheld the unexplored regions of America all those centuries ago.

The Starfleet personnel were quickly boarding the remaining shuttles, taking with them some of the equipment that were never meant to be left on the planet, such as the anti-grav machines that were used for moving the bulkier cargo. The bright, artificial colors of gold, blue, and red were rapidly disappearing from sight.

She was drawn from her gawking when Joaquin approached. He greeted Khan, who was also looking with approval at their new home.

“How are the others?” Khan asked quietly.

Joaquin’s strong features beamed, even though he didn’t quite smile. “Those who insisted that we keep the ship seem to be changing their minds now that we’re here.”

Khan was relieved to hear it, she could tell.

“And,” Joaquin added, his eyes flickering unexpectedly to her. “I’ve explained to them what I heard in the briefing room about Marla McGivers. I let them know what she’s done for us.”

Joaquin was still talking as though she wasn’t even there, but the fact that he took it upon himself to vouch for her was more than she could have hoped. It was a step towards being accepted by these people and she almost wanted to hug the burly augment.

“Thank you,” she managed to say without sounding too silly.

Khan, too, was thankful. He clasped a hand on Joaquin’s shoulder for a hardy squeeze. “You’ve done well, my friend.”

Kirk, Carol, and Spock were the last three Starfleet officers, and they approached briskly.

“Well, this is it,” Kirk said to no one in particular. Reaching to his hip, he drew his phaser and three power cells. “As we agreed.” They were held out to Khan.

Khan claimed them as though they were his to begin with.

“As much as we’d love to join the housewarming party, we have seventy-four deaths to stage a few lightyears thataway,” he pointed up at the sky.

Marla couldn’t help smiling as the captain spoke with such levity on something that could ruin his career. When she glanced to Khan, there was the subtlest hint of a smirk.

“Enjoy your fictitious victory, captain,” he said smugly.

But the trace of good humor wasn’t lost on the captain, who flashed a smile and nodded. “Go forth and, uh… You know, be fruitful.”

“Good luck…” Carol stole one last, quick hug from Marla, “…with everything.”

Now would have been the time for a customary farewell from the Vulcan of _Live long, and prosper_ , but there was a stubborn silence about the first officer. Not a word was spoken between him and Khan, but instead, they held each other’s gaze coldly as Kirk began to lead his party to the shuttle.

They watched as the final shuttlecraft lifted off the ground, its engines filling the air with a high ring and a low vibration. Marla pulled in close beside Khan, feeling his arm curl comfortably about her waist as she took in the sight of a Federation vessel for the last time. She may have been discharged long ago, but it wasn’t until now that she felt truly free of Starfleet once and for all, even if the parting had a little ‘sweet’ to go with the bitter.

“Here at last we shall be free… Here we may reign secure.” Khan’s voice resonated for them all to hear, his face towards the open, empty sky. She recognized the words straight from Milton’s _Paradise Lost_. “Though the interval was too long and too uncertain, we are here to continue, and build up here a growing empire. We are no longer controlled or challenged by our enemies. We no longer have a damaged world to destroy before we can build. On this planet we have all the resources to bend to our superior will.”

A few of the augments clustered around, listening to their leader intently and respectfully. Marla could see the anxious hope in their eyes that mirrored her own feelings. This was the beginning of an exciting adventure. Where it would take them was a terrifying mystery.

“There is one thing for myself I have yet to gain…”

Khan’s tone had shifted, and when Marla looked to him, she was met with those intense multi-colored eyes. He gazed at her with pure adoration, but maintained the small space between them so long as his people were watching. But his next words made her heart skip a beat.

“…a companion who will also be my counterweight and the strength behind my leadership...” The declaration was for more than just her ears, it was for his whole family to hear. “A wife.”

He held his hand to her, his palm invitingly open towards the sky. A hand of terrible destruction that had recently proved itself in love and peace. Along with her entire being, she put her small hand into it, smiling brightly up at him as she fought down the tears of joy that threatened to emerge.

This was beyond what she ever dared to hope for when she forged her way onto the _Enterprise_ to revive Khan. It was the peaceful conclusion she fought for and so much more.

While the eyes of their new colony were on them both, celebrating with claps and cheers, she didn’t give in to her urge to kiss him. They now had a lifetime ahead of them for that. She had every intention of showering him with her unrestrained affections later when they would make their first bed together—their first _home_.

 


	40. Chapter 40

The good news was that the _Enterprise_ was only 34 hours overdue for its arrival at Regula I. The bad news was that it lost its entire special cargo of genetically engineered superhumans, one crewman, and had a casualty list to make Dr. McCoy’s head spin. The reports alone had the ship’s officers confined for hours, and the inquiries that avalanched from Starfleet Command and the Federation officials had the _Enterprise_ held in orbit around the station until further notice. The 5-year mission was on hold before it even technically started.

Kirk was questioned by his superiors endlessly as they tried to understand what went wrong in the mission to deliver the augments. The more Kirk told them about Marla McGivers and her sabotage, the fewer the questions became as they looked up her file. She had been declared a rogue, and after two days of inquiry, she was officially stamped deceased on her data file.

Finally, and not without some backlash, Kirk was given permission to continue his 5-year mission within a couple of says layover, to reload the ship and repair its systems to full capacity. The downtime was more than welcome by Kirk and his crew, and the captain’s first destination while off-duty was the bar of Regula I, where Bones was glad to join him. They were both off duty and in their civilian clothes, Kirk just a little more preened than usual.

“I dunno how ya do it, Jim…” McCoy mumbled into his glass of Saurian brandy. After taking a sip like it was apple juice, he shook his head. “You do one goddamn irresponsible thing time and time and time again. You’re always endin’ up a bleedin’ and bruised pulp in my sick bay and with a ship bein’ held together by wishful thinking, and _still_ they’re crazy enough to let you sail off into space with just a slap on your wrist.”

Kirk put on a comical frown. “I have no idea what you’re talking about…” To play up to his nonchalant innocence, he sipped from his own glass of Saurian brandy, his face squinching as the bitter liquid burned down his throat. He took a moment to glance expectantly towards the entrance of the bar. “By the way…” he said distractedly. “Did you finally finish your report?”

“Yeah…” grumbled the doctor. “Took me two days, no thanks to you. The only death was Lieutenant Vic Donalson of operations. The most serious injuries involved minor blood clots in various crewmembers and Lieutenant Garrovick falling asleep on his plasma cutter… and losing a nipple.”

Kirk forced down a swallow and snapped his attention to the doctor. “You’re kidding! I didn’t even notice when we found him sleeping in the service tunnel... God, that’s awful…”

Bones waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t beat yourself up. He said he doesn’t need it anyway.”

Kirk had to laugh at that one. “At least someone’s got a sense of humor…” he slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and the grumpy doctor smiled in spite of himself. Kirk glanced to the door again, then back to his drink. “Scotty’s still mad at Spock.”

“You say that like someone wouldn’t be,” McCoy quipped.

Kirk chuckled. “Well, Spock did erase the technical journals he’s been working on for the past two years. Now he’s gotta start from scratch.”

“Somethin’ tells me he’ll have plenty of downtime to do it when we’re drifting out into unchartered space where no one can hear you scream…” said Bones.

The 5-year mission had the young captain smiling like a little boy, the possibilities endless and unpredictable. And he had a clear conscience to look forward to knowing that Khan and his people would never see the inside of a laboratory. For the third time, he looked towards the bar’s entrance.

Bones finally followed his gaze. “Expecting someone?” No sooner had he said it did his face drop. “Dear God, tell me you didn’t invite that green-blooded—”

“Relax,” Kirk laughed at him. “I’m not that crazy…”

Then, with perfect timing, there she was. An off-duty Carol Marcus looking stunning in a vermilion dress, her hair drawn up elegantly.

Kirk gave Bones one last pat to the shoulder as he pushed himself to his feet. “Hate to drink and run, but I gotta date.”

“With Dr. Marcus? How— Nevermind. Of course you do. Have fun.” Bones shook his head with a smile and returned to his own date for the night: a half-full bottle of Saurian brandy.

Kirk had the exceptional skill of swaggering in the face of certain death, but even more so in the presence of a lovely lady. He looked as cool as they come, but that didn’t mean his heart wasn’t beating like a hammer against his chest as he approached her. He flashed his most charming smile, and she returned a coy one.

“I want you to know I am well prepared for whatever advances you make, Mr. Kirk,” she said sharply, contradicting the growing smile.

“Who said I was going to make advances that you’d have to stop?” he feigned naiveté.

She quirked a startlingly seductive brow, her hand slipping around his arm to hook on his elbow.

“Who said I was going to stop them?”

 


	41. Epilogue

Ever since his younger self had contacted him from the _USS Enterprise_ with questions about Khan, Spock experienced an ongoing sense of alarm. He had far too many duties confining him to New Vulcan, his age attributing to the disinclination to “gallivant about the cosmos,” as his old friend once put it.

So, he tried to follow the adventures of his alternate self and comrades from afar. He would receive periodic reports of the _Enterprise_ and her missions—those that have been accomplished, those that have been failed (rare as they were), and those that were to come. When the report reached him a month after the fact that Jim was assigned to deliver Khan and his crew to Regula I, and that it ended in disaster, Spock’s intuition was on figurative red alert. He knew Jim Kirk—albeit from a different timeline—but there were certain universal constants that the old Vulcan witnessed for himself.

One proven constant was Jim’s tendency to lie on official reports.

Spock studied the report of the alleged jettisoning of Khan, Marla McGivers, and the 72 other augments within the Gamma 400 System, the coordinates not significantly far from a certain Ceti Alpha V. The familiarity of these elements and the obfuscation surrounding them left Spock more than a little disturbed. The pieces, though scrambled, continuously seemed to fall into their destined place.

He accepted the fact that Khan was put back into cryostasis after the destruction of San Francisco. It was humane and efficient, even though Khan himself was only the latter of those two things. But if the ex-despot truly was on Ceti Alpha V, the time bomb was ticking again.

Logic dictated that destinies should not be altered, no matter what the cost.

But Spock had lived long enough and had grown enough in his association with Jim Kirk to believe that destiny was a tyrant worth rebelling against.

His vow was to never to give information that could potentially alter his younger self’s destiny.

Of course, that oath was deliberately open to interpretation.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR’S NOTE:  
> Wow. Much vague. Very cliffhanged.
> 
> Find out what happens next in the much longer conclusion: The Fraudulent!


End file.
